The fastest speed that signals travel within neurons is around 100 metres per second. Signals travel between neurons at junctions called synapses, where the axon (the longest part of a neuron) of one neuron meets the dendrite of another one. This crossing takes the form of chemicals jumping across the gap, which is why neuron signalling is described as an electro-chemical process. The synapse jumping part is much slower than the electrical part. Signals within computers typically travel at 200 million metres per second – well over half the speed of light.
