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Electron flow/ Conventional flow Huh?

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=28263
Printed Date: July 22, 2025 at 5:42 PM


Topic: Electron flow/ Conventional flow Huh?

Posted By: kaffeene
Subject: Electron flow/ Conventional flow Huh?
Date Posted: March 12, 2004 at 3:46 PM

Ok so Conventional flow of DC is from Positive to Negative but Electron flow is the other way around from Negative to Positive.  Now how does that work?  The way cuircuits are designed  its seems everything is in the wrong place.  Obviously I know they are not because everything works but how do you have fuses closest to the positive side of the battery or anytime a wire size is changed if the flow is in the opposite direction?   What about diodes, the Cathode doesn't pass current and the Anode does but if electron flow is Negative to Positive wouldn't it be the Cathode that passes current and the Anode that doesn't?     If you think of it both ways when wiring a curcuit your really gonna cook your noodle.        Input please....  thanks



Replies:

Posted By: kaffeene
Date Posted: March 12, 2004 at 3:50 PM
Ok I know I spelled Circuits  wrong, I am aware of that.   I have no edit button




Posted By: xetmes
Date Posted: March 12, 2004 at 4:33 PM

Yea conventional flow is the flow of holes or positive charge carriers, electron flow is the flow of electrons. On a fuse it doesnt matter since the current is the same in a series loop, it is kept at the positive since the entire vehicle is negative. But in reality it will not matter either way is a chassis short does not occur.

 Not sure about the flow question but it really doesnt matter what you want to think of as moving, you can say electrons move or holes move. Holes being the absence of an electron, its like leaving a parking spot and instead of saying cars are leaving, you say parking spots are forming, one is just the negative effect of the other. You can not lose electrons in a loop, so the movemement will always be equal and opposite.

The diode question is the same way, you can flood the N-side (cathode) with electrons to forward conduct or you can pull the electrons from the P-side (anode). Eitherway you will still cause the depletion layer to fill and forward conduct.

hope that helps...





Posted By: kaffeene
Date Posted: March 13, 2004 at 3:45 PM
what do you mean as far as the diode?   If holes or positive charged particles move opposite of electrons wouldn't positive particles more through the anode  and electrons through the cathode?  If they went both ways wouldn't that keep the diode from its purpose to prevent current in one direction?




Posted By: xetmes
Date Posted: March 13, 2004 at 4:29 PM

Well its not that postive charges move technically, the positive charge only exists because of the loss of an electron. They are directly related, if you remove an electron you will have a positive charged area. No positive charge carrier technically moves, protons cant move only the electrons are mobile. The hole movement is just a play on words describing the electron movement.

Technically in a diode the electrons do move from the cathode to the anode (N to P), so the positive charge cariiers move in the opposite direction.





Posted By: jfk51502003
Date Posted: March 13, 2004 at 5:16 PM

KIRCHOFFS LAW...IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY....CHECK IT OUT...!!





Posted By: xetmes
Date Posted: March 13, 2004 at 5:57 PM
witch one? KVL or KCL?





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