Drift Velocity and Ohm's Law Circuit Lab | KCET Physics

About this simulation

In Drift Velocity mode, watch small dots (charge carriers) drift slowly through a wire — increase the current or shrink the area to see them speed up. In Ohm's Law mode, adjust resistance and voltage and watch the V-I graph build up as a straight line.

Drift is slow, the signal is fast

The dots you see drifting move slowly — real electrons drift at a similar creeping pace, even though a bulb across the room lights up almost instantly.

The V-I line's slope IS the resistance

In Ohm's Law mode, watch how a steeper line means a larger resistance — the slope of V vs I is literally R.

Model note: the drift-velocity view is a schematic visualisation, not a literal microscopic simulation of collisions.

Choose a mode, then adjust the sliders

I = nAv₀e e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C KCET

● Charge carriers ◼ Wire / resistor ◼ V-I graph line

I current2.0 A

A wire cross-sectional area (relative)1.0 ×

I = nAv₀e

Drift Velocity and Ohm's Law Circuit Lab Watch individual charge carriers drift through a wire, then switch to see the V-I graph that defines Ohm's Law.

Choose a mode, then adjust the sliders

Extension: predict the current at a new resistance