answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

It's basically an accident. Current flow was defined before science had figured out electron flow.

Answer

Before the structure of the atom was understood, scientists such as Benjamin Franklin believed that an electric current was a flow of some sort of mysterious 'fluid' that moved from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. The high pressure was considered to be 'positive' pressure and the low pressure was considered to be 'negative pressure'. So, for many years, current was believed to travel from positive to negative.

Even though we now know that ( in metallic conductors, anyway) that current is a flow of free electrons from negative to positive, for some weird reason many textbooks still show current as flowing from positive to negative! To differentiate between the two current directions, we use the terms 'electron flow', and 'conventional (or 'Franklinian') flow'.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why are electron and current flow in opposite directions?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

What is the relationship between the direction of current and direction of electron flow in a current carrying wire?

the directions are opposite to each other


What is the relationship between the direction of current and the direction of electron flow in a current carrying wire?

the directions are opposite to each other


What flow is equal to and opposite of electron flow?

The "flow of current" is considered to be in the opposite direction.


What is the relationship between the direction of current and direction of electron flow in a current-carrying wire?

because the current is actually the flow of electrons.


Give atleast 6 to 7 differences between conventional current and electric current?

can't as there is only one: they are in opposite directions. conventional current flow was defined arbitrarily before the discovery of electrons to permit mathematical analysis of circuits. electron current flow was defined after the discovery of electrons.


Difference between electron flow and conventional current?

Conventional current flow refers to a flow of positive charges. It is a kind of ficticious current. If - as is often the case - the real current is an electron flow (negative charges), then the conventional flow is a current in the opposite direction as the electron movements, since this would have the same effect (for example on the magnetic field, or on conservation of charge).


What is the conventional current flow?

Conventional current flow is the flow of positive charges, or the equivalent flow of positive charges. That is, if what flows is really negative charges (for example, an electron), which flow in one direction, the "conventional current" flows in the opposite direction.


What is electric current flow?

Answerits lightning, for a more simple answer......electric current flow is the movement of charges. Most often, however, we consider electric current flow to be moving electrons, or electron current flow.We most often use the term electric current flow to refer to the moving electrons, the flow of which is measured in amperes.Earlier scientists, before the discovery of electron, do believe that current flows right from positive terminal to the negative. This is known as conventional current flow.So electron flow is always opposite the direction of conventional current.


What does ace stands for?

Anthony count Alternating Current - electrons that flow alternately in opposite directions constitute an Alternating current.


Flow of an electron will contain how much current?

1.6x10^19 amperes is the amount of current that a flow of an electron will contain.


When electrons are moving from negative pole to positive pole in the circuit then current in the circuit will be moving in which direction?

always current flow from the opposite direction of electron


Electron current flow theory considers electricity to be the flow of charge carries which are what in polarity?

When we consider electron flow, we think of moving electrons. The electron has a negative charge. This model of current flow, the electron current flow model, follows the movement of those negative charges.As a contrast, we might consider what is called conventional current flow. And that the model of current involves the movement of charges with a positive polarity.