Thanks Dale. That was the exact idea I was trying to propose. It makes sense that the signal could never travel faster than it slowest part, the electromagnetic field. The signal would theoretically approach the speed of light and therefore infinite mass though correct?
The speed of electrical current (technically the electromagnetic field) through copper is about 95-97% the speed of light as per Wikipedia and http://lofi.forum.physorg.com/Speed-of-Light-and-Electricity_4992.html . I guess I'm comparing the speed of a signal vs light. The movement of the last...
I have always heard and still find information that contradicts your statements about electricity being slow or close to the speed of sound. As a matter of fact one site compares the speed of electricity to a pipe filled with marbles. When an extra marble is added, the last marble falls out...
Thanks for the quick replies. The replies do bring up another question though. Since electrical current moves at just shy of the speed of light with the electrons basically acting like the billiard balls mentioned earlier, wouldn't the billiard balls move at nearly that same speed? I can see the...
Picture a perfectly aligned row of pool balls all touching each other that was 200,000 miles long. If the first ball was struck with enough force at the exact center of the ball, would the movement of the last ball occur before a laser beam could move from the beginning to the end of the balls...