Electricity Flowing (how quick)

[cjdelphi]

Trying to work out how faster a router could send data, turns out higher the voltage or more amperage, the faster the signal will travel..... now here's this guy's example on how fast electrons travel...

ready for this?... i need confirmation of this lol


http://amasci.com/miscon/speed.html

The speed of electric current
Since nothing visibly moves when the charge-sea flows, we cannot measure the speed of its flow by eye. Instead we do it by making some assumptions and doing a calculation. Let's say we have an electric current in normal lamp cord connected to bright light bulb. The electric current works out to be a flow of approximatly 3 inches per hour. Very slow!

Here's how I worked out that value. I know:

Bulb power: about 100 watts, about 100V at 1A
Value for electric current: I = 1 ampere
Wire diameter: D = 2/10 cm, radius R=.1cm
Mobile electrons per cc (for copper, if 1 per atom): Q = 8.5*10^+22
Charge per electron: e = 1.6*10^-19

The equation:

cm/sec = ________I_______ = .0023 cm/sec = 8.4 cm/hour
Q * e * R^2 * pi

 

[GreenGiant]

The way that I was taught is that the charge moves at or near the speed of light, hence things turn on almost instantly when switched on, but the actual movement of electrons is very slow

While I cannot say for sure whether the math is correct or anything, from my experience the logic is sound

Your original question the speed at which a router can send data is determined by the number of parallel connections, and the frequency at which it transmits (assuming wireless), for wired it would again be determined by the number of parallel lines
it has nothing to do with the amount of current/voltage as the data will "move" from one end of the line to the other in almost exactly the same amount of time every time (changes due to temperature and noise can occur but are usually very minimal)

 

[BobK]

The signal travels at the speed of light, not at the speed the electons move, so your statement that you can move data faster by using more voltage or current is incorrect.

Look at at it this way: Fill up a tube with marbles. Now push a marble into one side of the tube. A different marble comes out the other side of the tube almost instantly, not waiting for the entering marble to traverse the length of the tube. In this case it is actually the speed of sound in glass that is the limiting factor.

Electrons work the same way. When you push an electron into one end of a wire, a different electron comes out the other end as soon as the additional field can be felt, which is limited by the speed at which electric fields propagate which is the speed of light.

Bob

 

[twister]

The signal travels at the speed of light, not at the speed the electons move, so your statement that you can move data faster by using more voltage or current is incorrect.

Look at at it this way: Fill up a tube with marbles. Now push a marble into one side of the tube. A different marble comes out the other side of the tube almost instantly, not waiting for the entering marble to traverse the length of the tube. In this case it is actually the speed of sound in glass that is the limiting factor.

Electrons work the same way. When you push an electron into one end of a wire, a different electron comes out the other end as soon as the additional field can be felt, which is limited by the speed at which electric fields propagate which is the speed of light.

Bob

that was a great explanation!

 

[(*steve*)]

The signal travels at the speed of light

In the medium.

It may not be clear to the poster that the speed of light is influenced by a lot of things, and in coax (for example) is can be relatively quite slow.

 

[davenn]

In the medium.

It may not be clear to the poster that the speed of light is influenced by a lot of things, and in coax (for example) is can be relatively quite slow.

Indeed, with a coax cable with a .66 velocity factor (66%) propagation speed is much slower. Even in an antenna that is a bare wire or a plastic covered wire the v/f changes notably. Bare ~98 - 99%, plastic insulated wire ~92 - 95%

Back to the OP's original statements, I agree with the others.....increasing the voltage or current isn't going to increase the data throughput, rather he is more likely just to kill the modem. Data throughput is totally reliant on bandwidth capabilities of the modem/ router, cables, how many network devices connected. Etc

Cheers
Dave