Question

Discuss what happens when an electrolyte is dissolved in water, and then an electric current is passed through it.

Answer 1

When an electrolyte is dissolved in water, it breaks into cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions).
These ions then move freely in the aqueous solution. When an electric current is passed through this solution, the cations move towards the negatively charged electrode, i.e. the cathode, and the anions move towards the positively charged electrode, i.e. the anode.