Video Transcript
The diagram shows an electric
circuit containing a cell and a bulb. In what direction do electrons flow
around the circuit?
Here, we have a diagram of an
electric circuit, and we’ve been asked which direction electrons flow around the
circuit. To answer this question, it’ll be
helpful to look at the cell in the circuit and identify which terminal is positive
and which one is negative. It’s important to remember that
when we draw the symbol for a cell in a circuit, we always make the line
representing the positive terminal longer than the line representing the negative
terminal. Let’s label the diagram to show
this.
Now, we might recall that
conventional electric current points away from the positive terminal and toward the
negative terminal. So if we draw the direction of
conventional current in the diagram, we can see that its direction is clockwise, but
don’t be fooled! This is not our final answer. That’s because here we’re
interested in the direction of the flow of electrons, not the direction of
conventional current. Remember that electrons are
negatively charged particles, and so they flow in the opposite direction of the
conventional current. Thus, electrons flow away from the
negative terminal. Let’s draw this on the diagram. Now, it’s clear to see that
electrons flow around the circuit in the counterclockwise direction.
So, our final answer is that
electrons flow around the circuit in the counterclockwise direction.
