Speed Calculation: How Fast Can an Electron Travel?

What distance does an electron travel in a given time?

An electron travels 2.34 m in 6.6 µs (microseconds).

How can we calculate the speed of the electron in different units?

Answer:

The speed of the electron is about 840,000,000 inches per minute.

An electron travels 2.34 meters in 6.6 microseconds. To calculate its speed, we first convert the time to seconds and then divide the distance by time to get the speed in meters per second. Finally, we convert the speed to inches per minute using the given conversion factor.

Step 1: Convert 6.6 microseconds to seconds.

1 microsecond (µs) = 10^-6 seconds, so 6.6 µs = 6.6 x 10^-6 seconds.

Step 2: Calculate the speed in meters per second (m/s).

Speed = Distance / Time = 2.34 m / (6.6 x 10^-6 s) = approximately 355,000 m/s.

Step 3: Convert the speed to inches per minute.

Using the conversion factor 1 inch = 0.0254 m:

1 m/s = 39.3701 in/s → 355,000 m/s ≈ 14,000,000 in/s

Step 4: Convert seconds to minutes.

1 minute = 60 seconds, so the speed of the electron is about 840,000,000 inches per minute.

By following these steps, we can determine the incredible speed at which an electron can travel in different units of measurement.