If electricity is faster than the speed of sound why does it not make a sonic boom?

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If electricity is faster than the speed of sound why does it not make a sonic boom?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Electricity is not faster than the speed of sound. Electrons move at a few cm per second.

Current in a wire created by a voltage source is like water flowing through a hose pushed by a pump. The water/electrons get pushed through the pipe/wire at a fairly slow speed, but all the water/electrons in the pipe get pushed at the same time.

So, when you flip on a light switch the light turns on instantly, but it’s the electrons that were already at the light that are causing the light to turn on, not the electrons that were at the switch when you flipped it. They won’t arrive at the light for many seconds or even minutes, depending on how long the circuit is.

In other words, unlike the common misconception, electrons don’t carry power from a power source to the destination and then have to go back to get “charged up”.

EDIT: Some more important detail: Only in a DC circuit will electrons actually travel around the circuit in a loop. In an AC circuit, like used in homes, the electrons get pushed one way then the other (changing directions 50 or 60 times a second typically) endlessly. Much like if you had a reversable pump that would pump water one way then the other endlessly in the hose.

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