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from the more positive point to the less positive point in the circuit

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Amina Stehr

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2y ago
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9y ago

Conventional current flows from the positive terminal to the negative terminal.

This is because they thought that electricity was the flow of positively charged ions.

The discovery of the electron, however, made people realise that electricity is the flow of electrons, which are negatively charged.

The field of electrics was already set up for the flow of "positive charge" and since it make no difference on circuit analysis, the original direction was was renamed as 'conventional current'.

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Current 'direction' refers to the assumed direction of current through the load (never through the source).

'Conventional current' predates any knowledge about atoms, electrons, or ions, so the original answer is incorrect. The origin of 'conventional current' dates back to when scientists, such as Benjamin, believed that an electric current was some sort of mysterious fluid which flowed from a higher pressure (''positive") to a lower pressure {"negative"). We now know that in metal conductors, that current is a drift of free electrons from negative to positive, so we use the term 'conventional flow' to distinguish Franklin's belief.

Unfortunately, many of the rules we use to determine the direction of magnetic fields were based on conventional flow direction and, so, many textbooks still retain that direction for traditional reasons, although there really is no need to do so.

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Q: What is the conventional direction of electric current?
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Electric current changes direction repeatedly is called?

AC current (alternating current) like in a wall outlet


Why direction of rotation is not reversed when both field and armature terminals are reversed?

The direction of the force that drives the machine is determined by the relative directions of the field and the armature current. By reversing the direction of both field and the armature current, the direction of the resulting force stays the same; you have to reverse the direction of one or the other; not both! Prove it for yourself, by applying Fleming's Left-Hand Rule (for conventional current flow); reverse the direction of both your first finger (field) and your second finger (armature current), and you thumb (direction of motion) will end up pointing in the same direction!


Is electric current and current the same thing?

Not really. You can compare them with the analogy of water flowing through a pipe. For water to flow, there must be a pressure difference across the ends of the pipe. An electric current is a movement of electric charges along a conductor. For those charges to move, there must be a voltage (more accurately, a 'potential difference') across the ends of the conductor. So a potential difference is required to cause current to flow.


In which circuit does charge reverse direction many times per second?

In an alternating current (AC) circuit, the electric charge periodically reverses direction at a certain frequency. This is in contrast to a direct current (DC) circuit, in which charge flows in one direction only.


Is an electric current a flow of negative charges?

Electrons are a negative charge. Using conventional notation current flows from positive to negative poles of a battery, for example. In electron flow convention the electrons flow from negative to positive.

Related questions

What is the difference between electronic current and conventional current?

Difference between conventional current and electric current? • Electric current can be either negative or positive, but conventional current is always positive.• The conventional current for an electron flow is positive, whereas the electrical current is negative.• For a flow of positive charges, both the electric current and the conventional current are the same.• Since almost every electrical circuit uses an electron flow, it can be safely stated that the conventional current = - electrical current.• In conventional current, the flow of electrons is assumed as a flow of protons on the opposite direction.


In which direction does conventional current flow?

Conventional current flows from the positive terminal of a battery to the negative terminal. This flow of charge follows the direction of electric field, which is from high potential to low potential.


What is the electrical current in a circuit?

Conventionally electric current was assumed to be a flow of positive charges. But in reality especially in metals electric current is due to the flow of negatively charged electrons. So direction of conventional current is opposite to the direction of flow of electrons. But in case of liquids as well as solids electric current is due the flow of both positive and negative ions.


Which direction does the conventional flow of energy move?

The term "conventional flow" is usually used specifically for electricity, not for any kind of energy. If the current consists of electrons, then, if the electrons move in one direction, the conventional flow (a ficticious flow of positive charge) flows in the opposite direction. If the electric flow consists of positive charges, then the conventional flow and the physical, or real, flow, are in the same direction. An electron current is the most common case, though.


What is the direction of current due to flow of electrons if it is not conventional current?

The direction of current due to flow of electrons is opposite to the direction of conventional current. This is because electrons have a negative charge, so when they flow in a wire, they are actually moving in the opposite direction to the current flow defined by convention.


What is the conventional current flow?

Conventional current flow is the idea that electric current flows from the positive terminal of a power source to the negative terminal. This concept is used in circuit analysis and is opposite to the actual flow of electrons, which move from the negative terminal to the positive terminal.


How does electric current travel?

Electric current travels through a closed circuit, flowing from a higher voltage to a lower voltage. It moves through conductive materials such as wires, where the flow of electrons creates the electric current. The rate of flow of electric current is measured in amperes.


What is the direction of flow of electric current in an electric current?

DC current


When electric current changes direction is called?

When electric current changes direction, it is called alternating current (AC).


The opposite direction of conventional current?

The opposite direction of conventional current is electron flow direction. In conventional current, positive charges are assumed to be flowing from the positive terminal of the battery to the negative terminal. In reality, electrons, which are negatively charged, flow from the negative terminal of the battery to the positive terminal.


What happens to the direction of a magnetic field around an electric current when the direction of the current is reversed?

The direction of the magnetic field around the electric current also reverses when the direction of the current is reversed. This is determined by the right-hand rule, where the direction of the magnetic field is perpendicular to the direction of the current flow.


What is the scientific abbreviation for current?

The scientific abbreviation for current is "I," which stands for electric current.