Are the electrons moving like this in conductor with current?

[scientist91]

Are the electrons moving like this in conductor with current? I mean are they jumping from atom to atom (roughly said)? Why they are jumping from outer orbital to outer orbital when all outer orbitals in all of the atoms in conductor have same energy? Look the picture. Imagine that, the electron is jumping from atom to atom (infinite number of atoms). http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5827/electrongy4.gif"

 

[cepheid]

I know that people here have told you this before, but in a *conductor*, the outermost electrons are *nearly free* electrons, meaning that they are not bound to any particular atom, but are free to move about through the material. That having been said, their dynamics are affected by the presence of the periodic potential due to the nuclei. This falls into the realm of solid state physics, which is quite complicated and requires some knowledge of quantum mechanics. That having been said, there are some classical models that talk about the movement of conduction electrons (known as "drift"), and you should look them up (in books, not online!)

 

[astrokreng]

Yes, the electrons in a conductor do move in this manner when there is a current flowing. This is known as electron drift and it occurs due to the application of an electric field. The electrons are not jumping from atom to atom, but rather they are moving in a continuous flow, similar to a river. The electrons are not jumping between outer orbitals, but rather they are moving through the entire conductor as a result of the applied electric field.

The reason for this behavior is due to the fact that the outer orbitals in all atoms in a conductor have the same energy. This means that the electrons are free to move between atoms without any energy barriers, leading to a continuous flow of electrons. The picture you have provided shows a simplified representation of this movement, but in reality, there are many more electrons moving through the conductor at any given time.

It is important to note that the movement of electrons in a conductor is not random, but rather it follows a specific pattern based on the applied electric field and the properties of the conductor. This movement of electrons is what allows for the flow of current, which is essential for many technological applications.