What happens to electrons when voltage is applied to a conductor?

• A. Electrons move slower.
• B. Electrons vanish.
• C. Electrons are forced out of their circular paths and pass from atom to atom along the wire.
• D. Electrons gather at the source.

Answer: (C)

When voltage is applied, an electric field appears inside the conductor and pushes on the free electrons, causing them to drift along the wire. In a metal, electrons aren’t tied to a single atom; they form a moving sea that can hop from one atom to the next as they respond to the field. This movement creates electric current. The electrons flow in the direction opposite to conventional current, from the negative terminal toward the positive terminal. They don’t slow down, vanish, or gather at the source—voltage simply makes the electrons drift through the material.