Home › HSC (New South Wales) › Physics › Electrical Circuits › Conventional current in a circuit is defined to …
Conventional current in a circuit is defined to flow in which direction?
AThe direction a negative charge would drift due to collisions
BAlways from the ground toward the battery, regardless of terminals
CWhichever direction makes the current numerically the largest
DThe direction a positive charge would flow if it could move
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The direction a positive charge would flow if it could move
1. In metal wires the moving charges are actually electrons, which are negative.
2. Conventional current is nonetheless defined by convention as the direction a positive charge would flow.
3. This makes conventional current run opposite to the actual direction electrons drift in a metal wire.
4. The option describing positive-charge-flow direction is therefore the correct definition, not the electron-drift or ground-based options.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 19 "Electrical Circuits", section Direct and Alternating Current_
Related questions
Three 10 ohm resistors are connected in parallel across a 9.0 V battery. What power is disIn that same six-resistor circuit, the middle branch dissipates 2.4 W, the left branch disSix 30 ohm resistors are wired into three branches connected in parallel across a 12 V batA single 9-V alkaline battery can deliver a charge of 565 mA h. Two of these batteries areYou want 10 W of heat output from a resistor heater powered by two 9-V batteries connectedHousehold outlets in many countries supply 120 V AC. What does it mean that this 120 V figAn older incandescent light bulb is rated at 60 W and operates at 120 V. What current flowA 25-W light bulb and a 60-W light bulb both operate at the same voltage. Which bulb has t