Speed of electron flow through a conductor

[rootone]

Is the speed of electron flow through a conductor such as copper equivalent to 'c'?
I've heard of this being implied several times, but is it a fact?
I know it can't be exactly the same as 'c' because we are not talking of energy propagating though a vacuum.

 

[Pierce610]

I'm not an expert but I know the speed of electrons in a conductor like copper is measured in cm/s.
It's the electromagnetic field that propagates with such a speed: in fact when we turn on the light the sensation is that there isn't delay in trasmission of current.
This fact is similar to open a tap or faucet on a pipe; a pressure wave propagates through and water, which has a smaller speed, goes out because the pipe is already full of water.

 

[Doug Huffman]

The proper name is electron drift. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drift_velocity#Numerical_example

 

[rootone]

Thanks both.
So 'c' is not actually a relevant factor at all, although the electromagnetic field generated by a current does travel at a speed approaching c.
(whereas the actual drift speed of electrons themselves is nowhere near c and can vary depending on various parameters).

 

[sophiecentaur]

Furthermore, there is another mistaken idea that the energy carried is something to do with the Kinetic Energy of the flowing charges. A moment's thought should put that to bed when you consider the mass of a single electron (1/ (many thousands) of each atom) and a mean speed of a few mm/s and then think of the energy transferred by the charges in a circuit.