How fast does electricity travel

Electricity travels incredibly fast, close to the speed of light. Here are some more details:

– Electricity travels through wires at around 70-99% the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second.

– In copper wires, electricity travels at around 93-95% the speed of light. In overhead power lines, it’s around 70-80% the speed of light.

– The speed depends on factors like the type of wire, insulation, temperature, etc. But in general, electricity moves very quickly through conductive materials.

– The actual current is composed of electrons moving through the wire. Electrons have a small mass but move incredibly fast when released from an atom.

– So when you flip a light switch, the electricity travels from the power station to your house and causes the light to turn on almost instantaneously. There’s very little perceptible delay.

– This incredibly fast speed of electricity is what makes so many electronic devices and power systems function smoothly. The delay is too small for us to notice.

So in summary, electricity travels almost as fast as light, allowing for instantaneous transmission of power and near-instant responses in electronic devices. The speed is what makes our modern world run so smoothly.