Does Electricity REALLY Flow? (Electrodynamics)

When charge moves, we call it electric current, but the word current is usually reserved for things like water flows. Does electric current really work like that? Electrons are quantum particles, so we have to be careful.
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LINKS TO COMMENTS

Neodymium Magnets:

Aspiring physician/biomedical engineer here; I've been a subscriber since your centripetal vs centrifugal video ~4 years ago. I was an undergrad at the time. Despite the plethora of physics content on Youtube, it was obvious to me then that you have an outstanding talent for distilling physics concepts *without* oversimplifying. What makes your channel truly special is the fact that so many others offer a treatment of the subject matter that's so superficial as to be entertaining but practically useless. Like a diamond in the rough, your content somehow manages the seemingly impossible task of providing an entertaining but *useful* treatment of advanced topics that's nevertheless distilled in such a way that makes it as straightforward as possible. Keep doing what you're doing! And thanks. :)

[howardstern]

In this video THE most important thing you should know is that the "electric field" (current) moves at the Speed of Light and physical electrons move or "flow" VERY SLOW thru a conductor (copper wire). Most electricians will tell you its the electrons moving thru the wire at the speed of light! Which is impossible when you think about thousands of mile of electric wire with electrons moving that fast from point A to point B. The friction alone would cause any size wire to melt INSTANTLY! This science YouTube guy really knows his stuff!!!

[Israel]

I'm a electrotechnical technician and hopefully a future electrical engineer. I always wondered about how electricity really works from the quantum level to the macroscopic scale. I spent a good time in the last year looking for information in books and websites until develop a good intuition about it, and you basically explained most of it in only 7 minutes! You even talked about the skin effect. Congratulations and thank you for these excellent explanations!

[rabbitazteca]

Omg I always thought electrons were the ones travelling so fast in a circuit and that's why the circuit components work. I knew there was something more to it when I read that electrons move slowly. Thank you for this.

[kevineinheuser]

Love your videos! Master auto mechanic here, whenever I do electronic diagnosing, my peers call me a "wizard", but I always think of myself as a plumber when looking for shorts, opens, and high resistance in circuits 🙃

[seanspartan]

This is why I love this channel! Not only have I learned more about electric current, I've corrected a few misconceptions I had as well. Thank you for the knowledge!

[Master_Therion]

What do electrons say when they move? "Charge!"

[xandrian]

First time I was actually able to see how this works. And that the wave travels at the speed of light I didn’t know. Professors were always using the water hose analogy, which I kind of got but not fully. Thanks, Nick!

[eleneasy]

Really pleasing surprised. This was a very good explanation of how current flows in conductors that anyone can understand, even without any knowledge of electromagnetism physics or electrical engineering. You also used the appropriate terminology giving it to the audience in a way very easy to understand. It is not so easy to find on YouTube people that makes videos like you. I have seen people explaining complicated subjects showing their understanding on the subject, but then failing in using the correct terminology and, therefore, creating confusion in how things are really working. Very well done. Kudos!!!

[johnnytarponds]

I've watched this video series a few times now. I really love how you've managed to make very clear, what high school failed to do thirty five years ago. Thank you!

[GiulioFischetti]

love how you have standard so high that never recur to the outdated nuclear/planetary atom models, opting instead for a more accurate representation.

[QDWhite]

6:50 I love the Hydraulic Analogy! I'm a lonely electrical guy surrounded by mechanical guys. Whenever I try to explain electrical concepts, I just get blank stares until I start invoking hydraulic equivalents. Then the pinched pipes go off.

[AnEvolvingApe]

I'm almost there I think? OK electrons move slowly (electron drift velocity), but when you get electrocuted (a near instantaneous effect) does that mean you are not getting pumped full of electrons but instead it is your own electrons in your body that speed up from the EM field so essentially you are being cooked by your own electrons' increase in drift velocity? What about lightning bolts? Lightning bolts are just the creation and collapse of a giant EM field?

[zukofire]

Thanks! I'll mention humbly that in some of your videos, the flow of explanations is kind of interrupted with humorous breaks too often and then I repeatedly fail to catch the explanations. This one was super clear I didn't loose focus.

[mrEofPlanetEarth]

Ok, I've recently realized how much I love this channel for its uniqueness among science channels. Very concise and articulate as well as purely entertaining. Reminds me of when I was a kid watching Bill Nye the science guy, but with better science! Anyways, keep up the good work, I've already shared your channel with a few people I know. I hope it gets bigger. It definitely deserves it.

[abhinandan]

Man, your videos make me fall in love with science again and again!!!! 😌

[GabrielTLGTaveira]

Wonderfull! Don't disappear, man!

[richardgreen]

dx dp < h does not say you cannot measure both. You can measure both but there is a limit on the precision. However, h is a very small number so you have to get to really precise measures before their product is less than h.

[Verschlungen]

Beautifully done! This presentation should be 'required reading' for all students (and teachers) of electrochemistry -- where the long-standing fairy-tale has been that electrons go whizzing about in the beaker and wires to make electrolysis happen.

[unhpsychology]

You do a great job producing unique content on topics that are done to death all over YouTube on other channels. Your ability to distill complex concepts down to their most fundamental parts without sacrificing rigor is a sign of true mastery.