In this video, I measure a wave of electricity traveling down a wire, and answer the question how does electricity know where to go? How does "electricity" "decide" where electrons should be moving in wires, and how long does that process take? Spoiler alert very fast!

I've been very excited about this project for a while it was a lot of work to figure out a reliable way to make these measurements, but I've learned SO much by actually watching waves travel down wires, and I hope you do too!

There will be a Q&A about this video posted in a few weeks on the second channel, and if you head over there right now, you'll see two direct follow ups to this video with experimental details, and a section about "impedance matching" that was cut from this script.
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Media Credits:
Slomoguys clip used with permission. Thanks Gav!    • Elephant Rifle Annihilates Ballistic ...  
I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Arcadia Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty... Artist: http://incompetech.com/

0:00 a hypothetical question
3:30 Measurement difficulties
7:44 Individual oscilloscope traces
10:23 Electricity moves through Y circuit
12:54 The single wire experiment – how electrons move
17:32 Electrons hitting a dead end
20:23 Revisiting the Y circuit
22:16 The water channel model