Practice question
Question
Why does the drift velocity of electrons in a conductor remain much smaller than their thermal velocity?
Explanation
**Current and drift relation** I = n e A v_d shows current proportional to drift velocity and area. For A=6×10⁻⁷ m², I=1.8 A, n=8.5×10²⁸ m⁻³, v_d =1.8/(8.5×10²⁸×1.6×10⁻¹⁹×6×10⁻⁷)=2.2×10⁻⁴ m/s, illustrating small drift speed even for ampere currents. Drift velocity ( v_d = e E tau / m ) is small because E is typically weak and tau is short due to frequent collisions, whereas thermal velocity arises from random motion at high speeds (proportional to √(k T / m) ), unaffected by the field. Applying I = n e A v_d, R = ρ l/A, R_t = R₀[1+αΔT], Kirchhoff's ΣI=0, ΣV=0, R_eq series/parallel, V = ε
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