As I recall from a lecture in a physical electronics class and from more recent reading on the web, under the conditions prevalent in most electronic circuits, electrons essentially diffuse through a conductor. Their major velocity is random in both magnitude and direction because of collisions with the atoms of the conductor. An electric field causes them to shift average position a little, but not as much as you might think. Only a rather small amount of net movement of electrons is needed to build up a countering field that balances the applied field. If the applied field is in the direction of a complete circuit, then they will drift all the way through the circuit bumping their way madly past the conductor's atoms. The net velocity through the conductor may be high, but under most conditions, it is still modelled as a kind of quantum mechnical diffusion.
Motion of a conductor through a magnetic field has nearly the same effect as an applied electric field. If you search for the "Hall Effect" on the web, you will find discussions which include the countering electric field set up when the electrons shift. Mark Holm [EMAIL PROTECTED] RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
