Relation between current and the motion of the

charge carriers can be describe by a microscopic

model of conduction in a metal:

A section of a
uniform conductor If the carriers move with a
of cross-sectional speed vd , x = vd t
area A
where vd is an average
speed of the charge carriers
called the drift speed and
n is the charge carrier
Consider a conductor of cross-sectional area A
carrying a current I.

A potential difference V
= Vb - Va maintained
across the conductor
sets up an electric field
A uniform E, and this field produces
conductor of a current I that is
length l and cross- proportional to the
sectional area A potential difference
The current density in the conductor is defined as

This expression is valid only if the

current density is uniform and only if
the surface of cross-sectional area A
is perpendicular to the direction of the
current
 A current density and an electric field are
established in a conductor whenever a
potential difference is maintained across
the conductor.
In some materials, the current density is
proportional to the electric field:

where the constant of proportionality is

called the conductivity of the conductor

Materials that obey Equation above are said to be ohmic.

More specifically, Ohms law states that

for many materials, the ratio of the current

density to the electric field is a constant
that is independent of the electric field
 the field E is assumed to be uniform

The quantity R is called the resistance of the

conductor
The inverse of conductivity is resistivity 1:

where has the units ohm-meters

(.m)
Do not confuse resistivity with mass density or charge density,
for which the same symbol is used