So far, we have talked about how to model batteries and electron current for a steady state current (meaning the wire has been connected for some time). We found that there must be a constant, continuous electric field along the wire that comes from the wire's surface charges to push the electron current through the wire to the battery. But what happens before the steady state current is reached? These notes will go into detail about how a steady current is produced and what happens in the circuit immediately after it is connected.