Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The formula for evaluating the drift velocity of charge carriers in a material of constant cross-sectional area is given by: [1] =, where u is the drift velocity of electrons, j is the current density flowing through the material, n is the charge-carrier number density, and q is the charge on the charge-carrier.
The electron mobility is defined by the equation: =. where: E is the magnitude of the electric field applied to a material, v d is the magnitude of the electron drift velocity (in other words, the electron drift speed) caused by the electric field, and; μ e is the electron mobility.
The drift velocity is the average velocity of the charge carriers in the drift current. The drift velocity, and resulting current, is characterized by the mobility; for details, see electron mobility (for solids) or electrical mobility (for a more general discussion). See drift–diffusion equation for the way that the drift current, diffusion ...
In other words, the electrical mobility of the particle is defined as the ratio of the drift velocity to the magnitude of the electric field: =. For example, the mobility of the sodium ion (Na + ) in water at 25 °C is 5.19 × 10 −8 m 2 /(V·s) . [ 1 ]
The drift velocity deals with the average velocity of a particle, such as an electron, due to an electric field. In general, an electron will propagate randomly in a conductor at the Fermi velocity. [5] Free electrons in a conductor follow a random path. Without the presence of an electric field, the electrons have no net velocity.
The drift current, by contrast, is due to the motion of charge carriers due to the force exerted on them by an electric field. Diffusion current can be in the same or opposite direction of a drift current. The diffusion current and drift current together are described by the drift–diffusion equation. [1]
This 'sea' of dissociable electrons allows the metal to conduct electric current. When an electrical potential difference (a voltage) is applied across the metal, the resulting electric field causes electrons to drift towards the positive terminal. The actual drift velocity of electrons is typically small, on the order of magnitude of metres ...
The drift velocity then determines the electric current density and its relationship to E and is independent of the collisions. Drude calculated the average drift velocity from p = −eEτ where p is the average momentum, −e is the charge of the electron and τ is the average time between the collisions. Since both the momentum and the ...