Why is it that the direction of dipole moment is different in Physics and Chemistry? I mean how can the same quantity have different directions in different subjects. A simple answer is definitely appreciated.
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$\begingroup$ I have no idea why this happened (assuming it’s true). But Nature doesn’t define anything. Humans make definitions and there is no reason why scientists who don't interact much have to agree on definitions. This is not a problem for most physicists, and probably not for most chemists. $\endgroup$– G. SmithCommented Apr 3, 2019 at 3:59
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A similar question appeared in Chemistry SE. According to one of the answers,
“Chemists are very concerned with the ‘flow’ of electrons and electronegativity. So in the case of water we like to use the bond dipole to depict the ‘flow’ of electrons from the H to the O due to the higher electronegativity of O. So we tend to invert the direction of the dipole vector.”
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$\begingroup$ Got your answer , @G. Smith , it seems really weird why they had to define two directions, maybe it is just for their convenience . $\endgroup$ Commented Apr 3, 2019 at 4:48