What is the direction of electron flow in electricity?

[ramonegumpert]

Hello gurus!

I have a novice question. I hope you don't mind me asking this question as it most likely is a very basic question to many.

Electrons flow from -ve to the +ve side of a battery.
Why then do people also say electricity flows from the +ve to the -ve end?
I recall being told the reason many years ago but have forgotten why.
Could you kindly help to expain a bit?

Thanks! :)

sincerely
Ramone

 

[tiny-tim]

Hello Ramone!

Electrons flow from -ve to the +ve side of a battery.
Why then do people also say electricity flows from the +ve to the -ve end?
I recall being told the reason many years ago but have forgotten why.

It's because they decided on +ve and -ve a long time before the electron was discovered, and then they couldn't be bothered to change it.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_charge#History" for some details.

 

[Astronuc]

By convention the current is equivalent to the movement of + charges, or opposite the motion of negative charges. Before the electron was discovered people thought there were + and - charges, rather than the + charge simply being the absence of electrons.

In a battery a chemical reaction cause the electrons to be attracted to the negative terminal. When placing a short circuit or conductor across the termials, this allows the electrons to flow through the conductor.

In generators, the electrons are moved by time varying or moving magnetic fields.

 

[Bob S]

In addition to the above wiki reference, read about Volta, who developed the first battery (pile) ~1800.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaic_pile
If Volta had piled copper on top of zinc, rather than zinc on copper, perhaps the current convention would have been different.
Bob S