Voltage in a DC Circuit: The Difference in Potential Energy

[Dosmascerveza]

In a DC circuit charges flow in the opposite direction to the electric field. Is the difference in potential energy over two points b and a of a point charge due to the source charge of this field defined as voltage?

 

[Naty1]

Try reading here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage

You may be confused between conventional (traditional) current flow which was based on the assumption of positive charges before it was discovered that current flow is actually the movement of free electrons in conductors...that is, negative charges..

So conventional dc current flow (of positive partciles) is from plus to minus in the circuit...but we all know the flow is REALLY in the opposite direction...because it's electrons that are moving...either convention is ok if used consistently...

An electric field is usually used to describe the movement iof a designated particle in free space, like air, or some medium with another dielectric constant...the particles in such a field are always identified as plus or minus...and are typically negative, electrons, as in a vacuum tube or klystron (used in radar and microwave ovens)...as two examples...