The Seemingly Instantaneous Propagation of Electric Current in a Wire

question 75

Multiple Choice

The seemingly instantaneous propagation of electric current in a wire when a switch is closed can be understood in terms of

• A)the propagation of an electric field down the wire with nearly the speed of light.
• B)the acquisition of the drift velocities of the free electrons almost immediately.
• C)a very large number of charges slowly drifting down the wire.
• D)the replacement of charge flowing out of the wire at one end by charge entering the wire at the other end.
• E)all of the above

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Definitions:

Positive and Negative Charges

Fundamental aspects of atoms and molecules, with positive charges carried by protons and negative charges by electrons.

Oxidizing Agent

A chemical substance that can accept electrons from another substance, thereby oxidizing the latter in a redox chemical reaction.

Carbon Monoxide

A colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is toxic to humans and animals when encountered in higher concentrations.

Oxygen

A chemical element (O) essential for most forms of life on Earth, critical for cellular respiration in organisms.