10

Understandable electric circuits

positive charges (protons) from the positive terminal of a power supply (such
as a battery) to its negative terminal.
Which way does electric charge really flow? Later on, scientists discovered
that electric current is in fact a flow of negative charges (electrons) from the
negative terminal of a power supply to its positive terminal. But by the time the
real direction of current flow was discovered, a flow of positive charges (protons) from the positive terminal of a power supply to its negative terminal had
already been well established and used commonly in electrical circuitry.
Currently, there are two methods to express the direction of electric current. One is known as the conventional current flow version, in which the current is defined as a flow of positive charges (protons) from the positive terminal
of a power supply to its negative terminal. The other is called electrons flow
version, in which the current is defined as a flow of negative charges (electrons)
from the negative terminal of a power supply unit to its positive terminal.
These two methods are shown in Figure 1.6.
I

(a) Conventional current flow

(b) Electron flow

Figure 1.6 The direction of electric current

Because the charge or current cannot be seen in electric circuits, it will
make no difference as to which method is used, and it will not affect the analysis, design, calculation, measurement and applications of the electric circuits
as long as one method is used consistently. In this book, the conventional
current flow version is used.

Conventional and electron current flow version

Conventional current flow is defined as a flow of positive charges

(protons) from the positive terminal of a power supply to its negative
terminal.
Electron flow version is defined as a flow of negative charges (electrons)
from the negative terminal of a power supply to its positive terminal.

1.4 Electric voltage

1.4.1 Voltage/electromotive force
We have analysed the flow of water in the water circuit to the flow of electric
current in the electric circuit. The concept of a water circuit can help develop an
understanding of another important circuit quantity voltage.