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Before, when science wasn't as advanced, scientists believed that an electric current flowed from the positive end to the negative end of a circuit. However, more advanced technology has allowed scientists to investigate this more thoroughly, and results state that electric current flows from the negative terminal to the positive terminal, thus called the electron flow. For reasons unknown, scientists have maintained the original idea of the current running from the positive terminal to the negative one, and have named it conventional 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'.

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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In which direction does conventional current flow?

Conventional current is defined as the flow of positive charges. If the actual flow is negative particles (as is often the case; usually electrons), the conventional current flows in the direction opposite to the electron flow.


What is the difference between conventional current and electric current?

Conventional current is the flow of positive charge from higher potential to lower potential, while electric current is the flow of electrons from lower potential to higher potential.


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.


Do electrons travel in the same direction in a circuit?

In a circuit, electrons flow from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the voltage source (such as a battery). This flow of electrons is opposite to the conventional current direction, which is from positive to negative. So, while electrons themselves move in one direction, the conventional current moves in the opposite direction.


What is the direction of current flow in a Battery and why?

Current means flow. Electric current means flow of electric charges Now there are two kind of charges. They are positive and negative But current is defined as the flow of positive charges But in metallic wires there is no chance for positive charges to flow through. Only loosely bound electrons with negative charge are capable of flowing. So current is case of metallic wire is due to electrons. So we have to assign as "conventional current". Conventional current is always opposite to the flow of electron flow Now from a battery current (conventional) flows right from positive polarity to the negative polarity. But within batter is has to flow right from negative to positive so as to complete the circuit of flow.

Related Questions

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.


Are the conventional and electronic current the same?

No, conventional current is the flow of positive charge whereas current is actually the flow of negative electrons.


In which direction does conventional current flow?

Conventional current is defined as the flow of positive charges. If the actual flow is negative particles (as is often the case; usually electrons), the conventional current flows in the direction opposite to the electron flow.


Do the electrons flow in conventional current?

A conventional current is a fictitious current - a flow of positive charges. If the real current consists of electrons, the conventional current flows in the opposite direction as the electron movement. The real current may also consist of other charged particles, for example positive or negative ions in a solution.


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).


A grounding wire allows the movement of electrons in which direction?

Electrons flow from the negative terminal to the positive. Conventional current or simply current, behaves as if positive charge carriers cause current flow. Conventional current flows from the positive terminal to the negative


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.


Do electrons really flow when current flows?

That means that there is actually something - the electrons - flowing in the specified direction. On the other hand, the "conventional current" is defined as the equivalent flow of positive charge. In the case that the charge carriers are negative (such as electrons), the conventional current flows in the opposite direction to the actual movement of charges.


What is real current flow?

Real current refers to an analysis of the charges that actually flow - for example electrons in a metal - as opposed to the "conventional current", that uses a ficticious current of positive charges. If the electrons move to the left, the "conventional current" moves to the right. If positive charges (e.g. ions) move to the right, the conventional current also is to the right.


What is the difference between conventional current and electric current?

Conventional current is the flow of positive charge from higher potential to lower potential, while electric current is the flow of electrons from lower potential to higher potential.


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.


Define Conventional current?

Current as a transfer of (+) charge so thats its direction of flow is opposite to that of electrons which are (-) charged