History Main / SlowElectricity

* Happens in ''VideoGame/DarkFall: Lost Souls'' when you restore power to Dowerton Station. Could perhaps be justified, if one assumes the wiring is defunct and supernatural forces are actually operating the lights as well as [[spoiler:the television sets]].

* What we think of as electricity is produced by, or at least related to, the motion of electrons. The electrons themselves have mass -- very little, but some -- so they cannot move at the speed of light. In fact, they move very slowly in wires, often on the order of several centimeters per hour. Current in a wire doesn't work by moving a single electron from point A to point B, however; it's more accurate to think of the electrons in the wire as many tightly-packed balls, or water molecules, or as beads joined in one big rope. If you push or pull on one end, electrons at the other end will move almost immediately. How quickly? At the speed of the propagation of electromagnetic fields, which is at the speed of light.[[note]]Actually in copper wiring, electricity travels about 1/3 the speed of light.[[/note]]

* The animated version of ''ComicStrip/TheBoondocks''. In the episode "The Passion of Rev. Ruckus", as Uncle Ruckus is delivering a sermon he's struck by a lightning bolt. This causes the lights of the city to go out a section at a time, much like ''Film/TheMatrix'' example under [[/folder]]

* [[ShockAndAwe Misaka Mikoto]] of Anime/ToAruMajutsuNoIndex and [[Manga/ToaruKagakuNoRailgun Railgun]] fights Touma a lot, and each time he is able to swing his [[AntiMagic right arm]] in the direction of the attack and block it entirely. Later explained as Touma [[spoiler:subconsciously using an ability to sense AIM Fields and predict her attacks.]] Touma doesn't know he's doing this, either; in the novels, he often remarks how fortunate [[note]]that right there should have been a clue that something more was going on, given his constant bad luck[[/note]] he is that her lightning always hits his hand.

* [[ShockAndAwe Misaka Mikoto]] of Anime/ToAruMajutsuNoIndex and [[Manga/ToaruKagakuNoRailgun Railgun]] fights Touma a lot, and each time he is able to swing his [[AntiMagic right arm]] in the direction of the attack and block it entirely.
** Later explained as Touma [[spoiler:subconsciously using an ability to sense AIM Fields and predict her attacks.]] Touma doesn't know he's doing this, either; in the novels, he often remarks how fortunate [[note]]that right there should have been a clue that something more was going on, given his constant bad luck[[/note]] he is that her lightning always hits his hand.
*** Which would makes sense if it wasn't for the fact that Mikoto could have just easily adjusted her attack slightly in the last second before she fires it and just aim for a different part of his body (like a place away form his hand) it should still hit him perfectly fine(unless Touma's reflexes and hands are litterally faster than lightning). so even if he knows where the attack are going to hit her attacks should be too fast to block anyway unless she purposely allow her attack to hit his hand.
**** His right hand explicitly acts like a lightning rod, he doesn't have to do anything other than hold out his hand. Plus her electricity explicitly has the properties of true lightning.

**** His right hand explicitly acts like a lightning rod, he doesn't have to do anything other than hold out his hand. Plus it explicitly has the properties of true lightning.

* What we think of as electricity is produced by, or at least related to, the motion of electrons. The electrons themselves have mass -- very little, but some -- so they cannot move at the speed of light. In fact, they move very slowly in wires, often on the order of several centimeters per hour. Current in a wire doesn't work by moving a single electron from point A to point B, however; it's more accurate to think of the electrons in the wire as many tightly-packed balls, or water molecules, or as beads joined in one big rope. If you push or pull on one end, electrons at the other end will move almost immediately. How quickly? At the speed of the propagation of electromagnetic fields, which is at the speed of light.

* Aversion on ''DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency'' when Dirk walks down the street and the street lights go out as he passes them. Turns out there's a reason for that.

->''"The electrician pulled the lever, and the current, slowly at first but growing faster and faster, started crawling down the wires."''

* ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' (first film): When the [[BigRedButton main switch]] is turned back on, the hall lights do this.
* ''Film/TheMatrix'' series
** ''TheMatrixReloaded'': After the power station is destroyed (and later when Trinity turns off the power again), the blackout spreads slowly through the affected area.
** ''TheMatrixRevolutions''. Inside the Oracle's apartment building, the overhead lights go off (with clunking sounds) as a warning of Agent Smith's approach. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nHJS1ZB1LA#t=0m13s Watch it here]].

* At the end of ''[[Series/TheAddamsFamily Addams Family Values]]'', the electricity moving in the mass of wires flows so slowly that Pubert is able to crawl into the room and short-circuit the wiring, [[spoiler:saving his family from the electric chairs and electrocuting Debbie, who has thrown the switch]].

* In the new ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' movie starring RobertDowneyJr and Jude Law, there is a scene where Holmes is fighting a giant man in an abandoned warehouse with the aid of an electric cattle prod. At one point his opponent is hanging on to a pipe on the wall for support, and Holmes touches the far end of the pipe with the cattle prod. Although it moves quickly the movement of the electricity (well, the magic blue sparks showing where the electricity is) as it races down the pipe is clearly visible.
* In EighthWonderland a special ops team has tracked down the server farm hosting the "unwanted" virtual nation. After blowing it to smithereens, the video feeds of the users slowly fade away over the course of a minute.

** Later explained as Touma [[spoiler:subconsciously using an ability to sense AIM Fields and predict her attacks.]] Touma doesn't know he's doing this, either; in the novels, he often remarks how fortunate [[hottip:*:that right there should have been a clue that something more was going on, given his constant bad luck]] he is that her lightning always hits his hand.

[[folder: Film ]]
above.

[[/folder]]

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': The console displays always came on/off this way. If there's a shipwide outage, expect an outside shot of windows lighting up this way. Usually, the last thing to come back is the engines. Also, the {{technobabble}}-laden ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' was ''always'' having something about to undergo a 'cascade failure,' but it was pretty much never like this.
** Possibly justified in that the starships in ''Star Trek'' use a plasma distribution system as their power grid, rather than modern-day electrical cabling.

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': Technically an AvertedTrope in the pilot: everything goes out in a single moment, not all at the exact same time, but pretty close. ...and then it spins back around to Creative License Science, since the "power outage" causes planes to immediately fall out of the sky, Smartphones and computer tablets to deactivate, and a good few blocks worth of cars to stop working altogether. (J.J. Abrams is involved - doubtlessly a lot of twists, retcons, and outright hand-waving are soon to follow).

* We get the city power failure sequence in ''Series/{{Jericho}}'' at TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* In the New Adventures of {{Superman}}, explosives under a light-beam cage were deactivated by having Lois setting off the explosives and Superman destroy the wall panel circuit before electricity reached the destination. This is PostCrisis, so Superman is ''fast,'' but '''not''' "here to Alpha Centauri in three seconds" fast.
* In one episode of ''NUMB3RS'' the case involves several reactors being taken down in an attempt to create a cascading failure. The shot of the shutdown when it occurs is basically the same thing as most shows/movies show though, but it's a bit more valid then a full electrical failure causing the skyline shutdown sequence.
* ''{{Smallville}}'' episode "Idol". The Wonder Twins' attack on a criminal causes a blackout during which the lights of Metropolis turn off in segments.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'', Series 6, The Rebel Flesh, opening scene
* Technically averted in the pilot of Revolution: everything goes out in a single moment, not all at the exact same time, but pretty close. ...and then it spins back around to Creative License Science, since the "power outage" causes planes to immediately fall out of the sky, Smartphones and computer tablets to deactivate, and a good few blocks worth of cars to stop working altogether. (J.J. Abrams is involved - doubtlessly a lot of twists, retcons, and outright hand-waving are soon to follow).

->''"The electrician pulled the lever, and the current, slowly at first but growing faster and faster, started crawling down the wires."''

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*** Which would makes sense if it wasn't for the fact that Mikoto could have just easily adjusted her attack slightly in the last second before she fires it and just aim for a different part of his body (like a place away form his hand) it should still hit him perfectly fine(unless Touma's reflexes and hands are litterally faster than lightning). so even if he knows where the attack are going to hit her attacks should be too fast to block anyway unless she purposely allow her attack to hit his hand.

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* The animated version of ''ComicStrip/TheBoondocks''. In the episode "The Passion of Rev. Ruckus", as Uncle Ruckus is delivering a sermon he's struck by a lightning bolt. This causes the lights of the city to go out a section at a time, much like ''Film/TheMatrix'' example under [[AC:{{Film}}]] above.

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*** This is also why AC ammeters first need to transform the power into DC.

* One engineer working on the electronics of the then new B2 bomber invoked this trope for a demonstration by having the power indication lights of the various electronics turn on in sequence rather then simultaneously to make a more impressive visual presentation, from a single master switch no less.

* What we think of as electricity is produced by, or at least related to, the motion of electrons. The electrons themselves have mass -- very little, but some -- so they cannot move at the speed of light. In fact, they move very slowly in wires, often on the order of several centimeters per hour. Current in a wire doesn't work by moving a single electron from point A to point B, however; it's more accurate to think of the electrons in the wire as many tightly-packed balls. If you push on one end, electrons at the other end will move almost immediately. How quickly? At the speed of the propagation of electric fields, which is at the speed of light.

*** Alternating current has zero average movement, as the electrons still move at the speed of molasses, but going back and forth 50 or 60 times per second (for house current). This is why AC ammeters first need to transform the power into DC.

* Quite a few ''{{Minecraft}}'' contraptions end up working this way, but that's justified because it's difficult ''not'' to use a lot of repeaters in the circuits as the power gets further away from the input.

* We get the city power failure sequence in ''{{Jericho}}'' at TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* At the end of the first ''BackToTheFuture'' film, the lightning crawls down the wire at roughly a walking pace.

* ''GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex 2nd Gig'' episode "Embarrassment". At the end of the episode, the crew of a Coast Guard ship sees the lights of Nagasaki going out in sections after the city's power is cut, apparently by the refugees.