Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Lets use copper, copper is a good conductor of electricity because it's electrons are easily detached(replaced), the flow of electrons is from one copper atom to the next, a chain reaction, like the billiard balls, so actual distance traveled is almost 0, next atom over, or close by, lol.
The electron at one end of the wire that started the reaction isn't the same electron at the other end.
You are measuring the amount of electrons moving in the chain reaction at a specific point but 1 electron doesn't move very far.
And the electrons are the "medium" not the charge itself, i.e. you don't use up electrons when light bulb is on, or the copper wire would soon run out of electrons.
The electrons do move slowly(drift velocity) and do stay in the circuit, they are not lost, they stay in the loop like the billiard balls, they would go back into the battery and then out again over time, DC circuit.
Drift velocity in DC circuit would be about 0.00028 m/s, AC circuit 0.000021 m/s
The electron at one end of the wire that started the reaction isn't the same electron at the other end.
You are measuring the amount of electrons moving in the chain reaction at a specific point but 1 electron doesn't move very far.
And the electrons are the "medium" not the charge itself, i.e. you don't use up electrons when light bulb is on, or the copper wire would soon run out of electrons.
The electrons do move slowly(drift velocity) and do stay in the circuit, they are not lost, they stay in the loop like the billiard balls, they would go back into the battery and then out again over time, DC circuit.
Drift velocity in DC circuit would be about 0.00028 m/s, AC circuit 0.000021 m/s
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