Question

In any electrical circuit, the direction of flow of current is:
A) Same as that of the flow of electrons.
B) Opposite to the flow of electrons.
C) Parallel to the flow of electrons.
D) Stationary.

Answer 1

Hint: Electric current is due to the flow of charges. It is due to the flow of the negative charges.

Complete step by step solution:
The flow of charges responsible for the electric current. In other words, electric current is defined as the rate of flow of electric charges. In circuits using metallic wires, electrons constitute the flow of charges. At the beginning it was considered the electric current is due to the flow of positive charges, at that time negative charges were not discovered. Later, after discovering negative charges it concluded that electric current is due to the flow of negative charges (electrons) not due to positive charges. However, electrons were not known at the time when the phenomenon of electricity was first observed. So, electric current was the flow of positive charges and the direction of flow of positive charges was taken to be the direction of electric current. Conventionally, in an electric circuit the direction of electric current is taken as opposite to the direction of the flow of electrons, which are negative charges.

The direction of an electric current is by convention the direction in which a positive charge would move. Thus, the current in the external circuit is directed away from the positive terminal and toward the negative terminal of the battery. Electrons would move through the wires in the opposite direction.

Hence the correct answer is in any electrical circuit, the direction of flow of current is opposite to the flow of electrons.

Note: Sometimes there will be confusion between conventional direction of electric current and the actual direction. The conventional direction of current is always opposite to the actual direction of movement of charges.