3 ms·
Drift velocity is unrelated to signal propagation. Otherwise it'd take entire days for packets to cross the country to get to you, which is clearly not the case
by saulrh 10y ago
Drift velocity is unrelated to signal propagation. Otherwise it'd take entire days for packets to cross the country to get to you, which is clearly not the case. If we want to take an analogy, signal propagation is like a sound wave in the electromagnetic field inside the conductor; in real air, the speed of sound is clearly faster than the wind.
- shermanyo 10y ago> in real air, the speed of sound is clearly faster than the wind I love when HN users give such simple, real world analogies that are so easy to visualize or relate to. For those of us from completely different fields, it really does nail down the concept. always appreciated :)