Question

When a free electron moves through a metal without an electric field, it frequently collides with:

Options

• Nothing, since it moves without any interaction

• The fixed ions of the metal

• The battery terminals

• The free protons in the nuclei

Answer 1

During their random thermal motion, free electrons frequently collide with the fixed ions of the metal. These collisions constantly change the direction of electron motion, keeping the average current zero when no field is applied.