# Why is electricity not faster than light if all the electrons are just shifted in the wire?

Many people said that all the electrons are just shifted at the same time when a current flows in the wire. So electricity can move with the speed of light.

If I have $$3\times 10^8m$$ wire and force a current at one end of that wire, it will take $$1s$$ for electricity to flow. In case of $$6\times 10^8m$$ wire, it will take $$2s$$. Why does it take more time in case of the longer wire? If actual electrons don't need to flow to the other end of the wire, why is the velocity of electricity limited to velocity of light?

• Because to shift every electron at once you have to change electric potential at once. But changes in em field take time – kakaz Dec 22 '19 at 9:59
• Thank you for your answer. By any chance, is there any book or paper which deals with the actual velocity of electric potential in the ideal conductor? – superkappy Dec 22 '19 at 10:13
• To have your formulas correctly displayed like $3\cdot10^8m$ you can check this site: math.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5020/… – NiveaNutella Dec 22 '19 at 11:12