how Internet back in the copper wire days could still transmit data in seconds when Electrons flow through copper at a few metres per second.

Question

how Internet back in the copper wire days could still transmit data in seconds when Electrons flow through copper at a few metres per second.

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Answer 1

The premise is wrong, electricity still flows at insanely fast rates. It entirely depends on the setup, but it can go from 1/2 of c to 99% of c. At worst, it’s a couple hundred million meters per second.

>electrons flow through copper at a few metres per second.

If this were true, You would be fine standing 10 meters away from me holding a live wire provided you let go the second you see me flip on the switch. I don’t need to tell you that that is not happening. Also, you’re foregoing the fact that copper wires only account for part of the network, the backbone still runs on fiber.

>how Internet back in the copper wire days could still transmit data

We’re not past using copper wires, only wealthy countries can really afford to route fiber cables all the way to customers’ homes, and it’s still prohibitively expensive for many households.