What is the direction of the current (clockwise or counterclockwise)?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the direction of current flow in a circuit involving a charging capacitor and a battery. Participants are exploring the conventions of current direction and the implications of capacitor charging.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are questioning the direction of current flow, particularly in relation to the charging process of a capacitor. There is confusion about the movement of electrons and the conventional direction of current as defined by the flow of positive charges.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into the conventional direction of current and its dependence on the circuit diagram. There is a recognition of the need for visual aids to clarify the situation, and some agreement on the direction of current flow has been expressed, though not unanimously.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the difficulty of addressing the question without a diagram, indicating that visual representation may be crucial for understanding the current flow in this context.

lydiakim
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The question is what is the direction of the current (clockwise or counterclockwise) when the capacitor is being charged by the battery??

If capacitor is charged, does it take electrons from positive to negative?

I am kinda confused. Please help me!

Thank you
 
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It's kind off hard to answer this question whithout looking at a diagram, but, by convension, the current has always the direction of the movement of positive charges, which means that, when the capacitor is being charged, the current moves "away" of the positive pole on the battery.

Whether this is clockwise or counterclockwise depends on how the diagram is drawn.
 
Oh, I answered that the current flows from positive(battery voltage) to positive (top plate of the capacitor) which is clockwise. Is this right??
 
Yeah, that's right, the current will flow from the positive end of the battery and will charge the top plate of the capacitor positive too.
 

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