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

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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'.

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Related Questions

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 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 flow is equal to and opposite of electron flow?

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

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What is electron movement referred to as?

Electron movement is referred to as electric current. When electrons flow through a conductor, such as a wire, they carry electrical energy from one point to another. The direction of current flow is opposite to the direction of electron movement.


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

The direction of current flow is defined as the direction positive charge carriers would flow, which is opposite to the actual movement of electrons (negative charge carriers) in a wire. Electrons flow from the negative terminal of a power source to the positive terminal, while conventional current flows from the positive terminal to the negative terminal.


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What is the conventional current flow?

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