Electric current is the rate of flow of charges (electrons) or the rate of flow of positive charge. Okay, I get it. But here's my question. The electron flows in the wire and then the current flows in the opposite direction of it. What is that thing that is flowing in the opposite direction of the electrons? Protons don't flow, so what is that thing? What is that thing that we are feeling as shock and making electric things run? In the AC, the electrons don't even flow, they just drag back and forth. I am completely confused.
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6$\begingroup$ Thanks to Ben Franklin, electrons are negative and protons positive. Current is defined as the direction of positive charge flow. And electrons going one way is ‘positive’ charge going the other way - it is a sign convention. Note there are positive charge carriers in many materials (holes, ions). $\endgroup$– Jon CusterCommented Mar 2 at 17:05
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2$\begingroup$ Don't judge the question so quickly. Instructions like this are inappropriate. It doesn’t take long to read and completely understand your question. On my screen it’s only six lines, and your confusion is a common one that many students have. $\endgroup$– GhosterCommented Mar 2 at 22:18
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1$\begingroup$ When my female cat approaches me (our distance shrinks) and hence I declare that a positive motion; I do not have a male cat but if I had one I might call him coming towards me a negative motion and moving away (increasing distance) from me a positive motion. It is just an accounting problem. $\endgroup$– hyportnexCommented Mar 2 at 22:54
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1$\begingroup$ Do these answer your question? IF electrons flow in opposite direction to the electric current then what constitutes the current?, Definition of electric current, What is electric current?? $\endgroup$– David BaileyCommented Mar 3 at 5:40
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2 Answers
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The electron flows in the wire and then the current flows in the opposite direction of it.
More precisely: the electrons flow in the wire and the current density points in the opposite direction.
While it is common to say that current flows, it is somewhat inaccurate. Since you are struggling with this, it may help to say things precisely.
A current consists of some moving charged particles. Those particles are called charge carriers. The charge carriers move, so that is a flow. The current density is a vector defined by $\vec j=\rho \vec v$ where $\rho$ is the charge density of the charge carriers and $\vec v$ is their velocity.
What is that thing that is flowing in the opposite direction of the electrons?
Only the electrons are flowing in a metal. The current density points in the opposite direction of the flow of electrons.
What is that thing that we are feeling as shock and making electric things run?
That is current density. What exactly is flowing is irrelevant. In a wire the charge carriers (the thing that flows) are negative. In your tissues there are both positive and negative charge carriers. So the charge carriers can be negative, positive, or both. It doesn’t matter.
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In ordinary conductors, the physical thing that flows is electronic charge. This is due to the fact that conductors have loosely bound electrons that are essentially free to move about the crystalline lattice. The current density in an ohmic medium can be defined as $\vec J=\vec v\rho$, where $\rho$ is the charge density and $\vec v$ is the velocity of "flow". Thus, in this definition there is an analogy to the flow of fluids. As Jon Custer notes in the comments, it is a matter of convention that one may regard any negative charge as a positive charge flowing in the opposite direction, this is why current in schematic diagrams, or "conventional current" flows in opposition to the actual physical flow of electrons.
answered Mar 2 at 17:17
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$\begingroup$ Actually that was not my question, I am unable to explain it. See, I know everything about the sign convention and all the things you mentioned. What I wanted to ask is what is that current in reality? Electrons are just flowing so from what we are getting shocked? What is that physical thing we are calling current is made by the flowing of electrons or ions or positive charge? $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 2 at 18:03
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1$\begingroup$ @MokshSinghDangi Just as it says in my post: the physical thing is flowing electrons. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 2 at 18:08