A question on Electromotive Force

[Lim Y K]

May i know if electromotive force (emf) moves from the positive terminal to the negative terminal or a battery through a circuit or is it from the negative terminal to positive terminal?

 

[davenn]

hi Lim
welcome to PF

May i know if electromotive force (emf) moves from the positive terminal to the negative terminal or a battery through a circuit or is it from the negative terminal to positive terminal?

The EMF doesn't move anywhere

here is a respectable definition from
Definition of Electromotive Force | Chegg.com
http://www.chegg.com/homework-help/definitions/electromotive-force-4

Electromotive force (emf) is a measurement of the energy that causes current to flow through a circuit. It can also be defined as the potential difference in charge between two points in a circuit. Electromotive force is also known as voltage, and it is measured in volts.

several years ago on these forums, NascentOxygen made another important observation ...
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/what-is-the-definition-of-emf.588037/#post-3822559

Discussion of EMF is usually careful to point out that its measurement requires that the generator (or battery) be on open-circuit or no-load condition, (I=0), so that the voltage you measure at the terminals is equal to the EMF. If there is current flowing, then internal resistance of the generator or motor or battery will cause the voltage you measure at the terminals to differ from the true EMF.

cheers
Dave

 

[Lim Y K]

Thank you. It has cleared up a misconception that i had but it has also led me to another question - does the charge that is pushed by electromotive force move from positive to negative terminal or the other way round?

 

[jtbell]

If the charge is carried by electrons, which are negatively charged, they move from the negative terminal to the positive one.

However, for historical reasons, we normally designate as the "direction of current", the direction that the charge carriers would flow if they were positively charged, i.e. from the positive terminal to the negative one.

 

[Lim Y K]

oh. thank you