Question

From where can we find the conventional direction of an electric current?

Answer 1

Conventional current: The electric current that goes from the positive terminal of a battery to the negative terminal is known as conventional current.

Step 1: Diagram explaining conventional current vs direction of electron flow in a conductor.

Step 2: Concept of conventional current.

1. Two ideas explain the current direction. The theory of conventional current is one, whereas the theory of actual current flow is another.
2. The structure of an atom and atomic particles were unknown when Benjamin Franklin was investigating charges.
3. As a result, he considered the point of charge accumulation to be positive and the point of charge deficiency to be negative. The charge was said to flow from positive to negative and this is known as conventional current.
4. Electrons are negatively charged particles that are attracted to positively charged particles. In addition, many investigations have shown that free electrons flow in a conductor. The negatively charged electrons go from the negative to the positive terminal. This is the real current flow direction.

Thus, the conventional current flows opposite to the direction of the actual current, i.e. from the positive to the negative terminal.