Drift Speed Calculator

Formula

The formula to calculate the drift speed (v_d) is:

\[ v_d = \frac{I}{n \cdot q \cdot A} \]

Where:

\( v_d \) is the drift speed (m/s)
\( I \) is the current (A)
\( n \) is the number of charge carriers (1/m³)
\( q \) is the charge of each carrier (C)
\( A \) is the cross-sectional area (m²)

Definitions

Drift Speed: The average velocity that a particle, such as an electron, attains due to an electric field. It is crucial for understanding the flow of electric current in conductive materials.

Example

Let's say the current (I) is 5 A, the number of charge carriers (n) is \( 1 \times 10^{28} \) 1/m³, the charge of each carrier (q) is \( 1.6 \times 10^{-19} \) C, and the cross-sectional area (A) is \( 1 \times 10^{-6} \) m². Using the formula:

\[ v_d = \frac{5}{1 \times 10^{28} \cdot 1.6 \times 10^{-19} \cdot 1 \times 10^{-6}} \]

We get:

\[ v_d = 3.125 \times 10^{-4} \, \text{m/s} \]

So, the drift speed is approximately \( 3.125 \times 10^{-4} \) m/s.