Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Current appears instantly, yet the electrons themselves creep along at millimetres per second. The figure is taken from American Physical Society, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a science fact?

Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Electrons drift through wires very slowly

Current appears instantly, yet the electrons themselves creep along at millimetres per second The electric field travels through a conductor at close to the speed of light, nudging electrons everywhere almost at once. Individual electrons bounce between atoms and average only a fraction of a millimetre per second in household wiring. A lamp lights immediately because the field reaches it first. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

American Physical Society

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Science trivia Technology trivia

More facts like this

Millikan measured the electron's chargeBalanced oil droplets gave a value for the elementary charge Rubbing materials transfers electric chargeContact between different surfaces can pull electrons from one material to the other Faraday made electricity from a moving magnetA changing magnetic field pushes charges through a coil of wire Franklin invented the lightning rodA metal spike on a roof gives lightning a safe path to the ground Electric eels generate hundreds of voltsStacked cells in the fish's body act like a battery to stun prey Lightning bolts are hotter than the surface of the SunA single electrical strike can heat surrounding air to thirty thousand degrees Celsius

Tags: electricity, current, electrons

Electrons drift through wires very slowly: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Current appears instantly, yet the electrons themselves creep along at millimetres per second. The figure is taken from American Physical Society, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a science fact?: Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.