Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Silver has free electrons in each cubic metre, and a resistivity of m. (a) Find the relaxation time of its electrons. (b) The random speed of the electrons is about m/s. How far does an electron go, on average, between two hits?
The conductivity is , the resistivity is , and . A wire has , with for a round wire of diameter . A wire cut into equal pieces joined side by side has .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The relaxation time. . The bottom is in SI units. So .
Step 2. The distance. , that is nm.
Answer: s, and nm.
Check. This is about a hundred times the spacing of the ions, which is a few tenths of a nanometre. An electron passes many ions before it hits one.
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