Electric Charge- why is the electron the negative

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on why electrons are assigned a negative charge instead of a positive one, highlighting that this convention was established before the electron was discovered, largely due to Benjamin Franklin's influence. It suggests that changing this convention could simplify understanding of electronics, as it would align the direction of electron flow with positive charge. However, some argue that the sign of the majority charge carrier is not crucial for grasping the fundamentals of electricity. The conversation also touches on the tendency to adhere to conventions for their own sake, similar to the reluctance to adopt the metric system in the U.S. Ultimately, the choice of charge sign is seen as arbitrary and not fundamentally impacting the study of electricity.
coffeebird
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Why wasn't the electron fixed with the 'positive' value? wouldn't that simplify a lot of issues with electronics problems, i mean, that way things wouldn't have to be all backwards. like, wherever the electrons go is becoming more negative, and whichever direction they are leaving is more positive...etc...
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Because the convention was established before the electron was discovered. There was a 50-50 chance of getting it right.
 
Blame Benjamin Franklin.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Because the convention was established before the electron was discovered. There was a 50-50 chance of getting it right.


that's what i was thinking...and people do that a lot, just stick with a convention for its own sake ( like not switching to the metric system in the US)
 
I think it's important to realize that one choice of sign is no more "right" than another.
The sign of the majority charge carrier is an insignificant factor in understanding 'electricity'. Anyone who thinks it is of ant consequencr, can't be appreciating the topic in any depth.
 
Thread 'Motional EMF in Faraday disc, co-rotating magnet axial mean flux'

Thread 'Motional EMF in Faraday disc, co-rotating magnet axial mean flux'

So here is the motional EMF formula. Now I understand the standard Faraday paradox that an axis symmetric field source (like a speaker motor ring magnet) has a magnetic field that is frame invariant under rotation around axis of symmetry. The field is static whether you rotate the magnet or not. So far so good. What puzzles me is this , there is a term average magnetic flux or "azimuthal mean" , this term describes the average magnetic field through the area swept by the rotating Faraday...
View full post »

Thread 'Why measure the speed of light in one direction?'

It may be shown from the equations of electromagnetism, by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860’s, that the speed of light in the vacuum of free space is related to electric permittivity (ϵ) and magnetic permeability (μ) by the equation: c=1/√( μ ϵ ) . This value is a constant for the vacuum of free space and is independent of the motion of the observer. It was this fact, in part, that led Albert Einstein to Special Relativity.
View full post »

Similar threads

B How is surface charge accumulated?
Replies
36
Views
6K
B Is there some electrical charge that is neither positive nor negative?
Replies
11
Views
2K
B Some Questions about Electric Current/Capacitors to help my understanding
Replies
7
Views
2K
Calculating the force on an electron from two positive point charges
Replies
2
Views
1K
I Question on Hall Effect and magnetic force
Replies
2
Views
2K
I Meaning of "Static Electricity" and Physical Interpretation
Replies
20
Views
2K
How can electrons flow all the way through the circuit?
Replies
21
Views
2K
Help with negative charges in an electric field.
Replies
2
Views
2K
I Why Does Grounding Imply Zero Electric Potential in the Method of Images?
Replies
7
Views
2K
What is the Significance of the Electric field in a closed circuit
Replies
5
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top