# Speed of energy flow for electricity

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-energy-flow-for-electricity/519100>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 27, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-energy-flow-for-electricity/519100 "2009-11-27T05:00:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-energy-flow-for-electricity/519100/21 "2009-12-02T15:44:09Z")

</div>

> [@Cardinal](#):
>
> Would someone try to explain to me why this would be true?

You’re thinking of electricity as what happens inside the wire, but it’s better to think of electricity as the electric field, and that is _surrounding_ the wire. If you think of it that way, then it makes perfect sense that the speed of propagation depends on the material around the wire instead of what’s inside it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-energy-flow-for-electricity/519100/22 "2009-12-02T18:22:23Z")

</div>

> [@rbroome](#):
>
> thanks for that great site!

Thanks from me too. I have spent many hours on that site. It is one of the best out there. You did a great job.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-energy-flow-for-electricity/519100.md?page=1)