The flow of electrons isknown as electric current. Then why the way in which electrons flow is different from the way in which the electric current flows.
The flow of electrons isknown as electric current. Then why the way in which electrons flow is different from the way in which the electric current flows.
When electricity was discovered, scientists at that time were not aware of electrons. They thought that positive ions were responsible for current. Therefore, they decided that the direction of current would be from positive to negative. We still respect this convention even today.
After a century, J. J. Thomson discovered electrons. It was soon understood that electrons were responsible for current in most conductors. Changing the convention seemed to be a bad idea. Hence, we continued to use the same convention.
TL;DR: By convention, current is assumed to travel from positive to negative direction. The electrons travel from negative to positive. The direction of current is not the same as direction of flow of electrons; they are opposite.
When electricity was discovered, scientists at that time were not aware of electrons. They thought that positive ions were responsible for current. Therefore, they decided that the direction of current would be from positive to negative. We still respect this convention even today.
After a century, J. J. Thomson discovered electrons. It was soon understood that electrons were responsible for current in most conductors. Changing the convention seemed to be a bad idea. Hence, we continued to use the same convention.
TL;DR: By convention, current is assumed to travel from positive to negative direction. The electrons travel from negative to positive. The direction of current is not the same as direction of flow of electrons; they are opposite.
