Definition:Drift Velocity of Electrons
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Definition
In an electrical conductor, some of the electrons are more or less free to move between atoms.
In a state of electric neutrality, such electrons move randomly.
Under the influence of a potential difference, the electrons are influenced to move in a direction towards positive charge and away from negative charge.
So, while the electrons are still moving in all directions at random, there is a tendency for the motion to drift towards the positive.
The drift velocity is defined as the mean velocity of all the electrons within a given volume.
The magnitude and direction of the drift velocity is used to determine the measure of the electric current in the conductor.
Sources
- 1958: C.A. Coulson: Electricity (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {I}$: Preliminary Survey: $\S 2$. Electric currents