Current question

[PrinceAli2786]

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Hey I have a question about circuits etc.

Mainly, current = I

In a circuit diagram, they say the current is the direction that POSITIVE charge would flow, and not where electrons flow

but then why do they say that current is made of electrons?

Someone please clarify it for me, I'd really appreciate it, Thanks!

*For an idea, from KAPLAN FL 2 PS

11. As current passes through a resistor, the temperature of the resistor will increase. Which of the following accounts for the temperature increases?

Ans: The average kinetic energy of the atoms in the resistor increases as a result of the collisions with the electrons in the current.

 

[dwc929]

Hey I have a question about circuits etc.

Mainly, current = I

In a circuit diagram, they say the current is the direction that POSITIVE charge would flow, and not where electrons flow

but then why do they say that current is made of electrons?

Someone please clarify it for me, I'd really appreciate it, Thanks!

*For an idea, from KAPLAN FL 2 PS

11. As current passes through a resistor, the temperature of the resistor will increase. Which of the following accounts for the temperature increases?

Ans: The average kinetic energy of the atoms in the resistor increases as a result of the collisions with the electrons in the current.

Electrons flow in the opposite direction as current.

 

[PrinceAli2786]

yea I know that electrons flow in opposite direction, but then what is the current made of if its the direction positive charge would flow? Is it made of electrons too? or what? b/c I'm confused by this😕

 

[tco]

Just think of it as the flow of positive charge. That's not right, but if you're confused by the fact that negative electrons flow opposite of current, it'll help.

 

[PrinceAli2786]

Just think of it as the flow of positive charge. That's not right, but if you're confused by the fact that negative electrons flow opposite of current, it'll help.

no no I get that its positive charge flow or w/e

but if its positive charge then why does it say:
The average kinetic energy of the atoms in the resistor increases as a result of the collisions with the electrons in the current.

Basically...what is current its electrons flowing but in the opposite direction or what? What is current "made" of?

 

[HawkeyePostOp]

Ben Franklin thought positive charge carried current, and we don't want to offend his spirit by correcting him. So we adjusted the definition.

 

[PrinceAli2786]

Ben Franklin thought positive charge carried current, and we don't want to offend his spirit by correcting him. So we adjusted the definition.

yea I read that somewhere in wikipedia too lol but seriously...so current is really made of electrons, but just know that its not the flow of electrons that we would normally expect?

I just want to know, what is current made of if electrons flow the opposite direction of current...made of electrons then right? there really are no positive ions?

 

[HawkeyePostOp]

yea I read that somewhere in wikipedia too lol but seriously...so current is really made of electrons, but just know that its not the flow of electrons that we would normally expect?

I just want to know, what is current made of if electrons flow the opposite direction of current...made of electrons then right? there really are no positive ions?

Nope not in electical circuits, just solution chemistry. Current in circuits should be defined as the direction of the flow of electrons, but that would require change and the immediate obsoletion of all electrical and physics books ever written, and no one wants to be "that guy." Plus, it's a simple deal just to learn the history and appreciate the randomness of Franklin's charge assignment. There was a 50/50 chance of everything in electrical science being exactly the opposite of correct, and this particular Futurama parallel evil universe, we lost the coin flip. When we discovered that everything is completely wrong, we accomodated our old understanding of current as "the inverse of electron flow" or "flow of empty space that should occupy an electron."

 

[tco]

yea I read that somewhere in wikipedia too lol but seriously...so current is really made of electrons, but just know that its not the flow of electrons that we would normally expect?

I just want to know, what is current made of if electrons flow the opposite direction of current...made of electrons then right? there really are no positive ions?

In the end, even when simplifying a circuit, it doesn't matter which direction the electrons flow as long as you have consistant voltage drops/gains in the circuit.

Again, it doesn't matter what direction you think of the electrons flowing. The logic behind the answer is that they're moving, are meeting resistance, and therefore are causing energy to be transfered.

 

[engineeredout]

yea I read that somewhere in wikipedia too lol but seriously...so current is really made of electrons, but just know that its not the flow of electrons that we would normally expect?

I just want to know, what is current made of if electrons flow the opposite direction of current...made of electrons then right? there really are no positive ions?

In a materials science class that I took, when we were studying transistors we had to thing of the flows as electrons in one direction, and "holes" in another direction.

Yup, the flow of holes in a transistor. Don't expect it to make too much sense. Its all to simplify everything and like they said above, keep our ancestor's immortal souls happy.