It's quite discouraging to see criticism from someone who didn't read what they're attacking. The article plainly states that electrons in metals are hopping all the time, even when the current is zero. Go read it. That's the whole point of that section. A bit hard to miss, unless you leapt to a wrong conclusion after only reading the title.
> because electrons "fill in" the gaps
The article specifically describes this effect. It's probably not wise to criticize things you haven't bothered to read.
That section is a simplified introduction to the concept of "electron sea" and "drift velocity." It debunks the common grade-school textbook error that electrons in metal wires only start hopping between atoms if someone connects that wire in a battery circuit (where the electrons also are supposed to remain stuck to individual metal atoms when current is zero.) This is a serious textbook misconception because it teaches kids that the electron sea doesn't exist, and it prevents them from grasping the "full pipes" fluid analogy of electric circuits as well as later concepts of metallic bond, metal reflectivity, lack of brittleness, etc.
It's quite discouraging to see criticism from someone who didn't read what they're attacking. The article plainly states that electrons in metals are hopping all the time, even when the current is zero. Go read it. That's the whole point of that section. A bit hard to miss, unless you leapt to a wrong conclusion after only reading the title.
> because electrons "fill in" the gaps
The article specifically describes this effect. It's probably not wise to criticize things you haven't bothered to read.
That section is a simplified introduction to the concept of "electron sea" and "drift velocity." It debunks the common grade-school textbook error that electrons in metal wires only start hopping between atoms if someone connects that wire in a battery circuit (where the electrons also are supposed to remain stuck to individual metal atoms when current is zero.) This is a serious textbook misconception because it teaches kids that the electron sea doesn't exist, and it prevents them from grasping the "full pipes" fluid analogy of electric circuits as well as later concepts of metallic bond, metal reflectivity, lack of brittleness, etc.