Electric Currents in Conductors
An electric charge experiences force if an electric field is applied, due to the force it starts moving and the movement of these charges constitutes the electric current. In a solid conductor, atoms are tightly bound with each other and approximately all the electrons are bound to the atoms. There are some electrons that are free from all the atoms are able to move freely throughout the material. When no electric field is applied, these electrons perform motion in random directions. At a given time, there is no preferential direction for the velocities of the electrons. This means, on average the number of electrons travelling in any direction will be equal to the number of electrons travelling in the opposite direction. So, there will be no net electric current.
Let’s see how these electrons behave when an electric field is applied to the conductor. Imagine a conductor given in the figure above, suppose one is a positively charges cylindrical disc and a negatively charged cylindrical disc. These discs are kept at the ends of a cylindrical conductor. An electric field will be created inside the conductor, this field will exert the force of charges and they will move. The movement of charges causes the electric current
Direction of Electric Current in Conductor
The direction of electric current in a conductor is defined as the direction in which positive charge carriers would flow if they were free to move. However, in most metallic conductors, such as wires, the charge carriers are negatively charged electrons, which actually move in the opposite direction of conventional current flow.
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Electric Current in Conductors
Electric current in conductors is the movement of electric charge through a substance, usually a metallic wire or other conductor. Electric current is the rate at which an electric charge flows past a certain point in a conductor, and it is measured in amperes.
When a potential difference (voltage) is supplied across the ends of a conductor, it induces an electric field within the material. This electric field exerts force on the free electrons in the conductor, causing them to migrate. In this article, we will learn in detail about the electric current in conductors.