alleryStart learning →Drift velocity in a conductor is best described as which of these?
AThe peak speed reached between collisions
BThe average velocity at which free charges flow
CThe speed at which the signal propagates
DThe thermal speed of atoms in the lattice
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The average velocity at which free charges flow
1. Free electrons in a metal move on nearly random paths, colliding constantly with atoms and each other.
2. On top of that random motion the applied field adds a small steady bias.
3. Drift velocity is the average velocity of the free charges produced by that bias.
4. The instantaneous electron speed between collisions is far larger than the drift velocity, so it is a different quantity.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 "Electric Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law", section Drift Velocity_
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