CHARGE IN MOTION IS

CURRENT
LESSON 4

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 CURRENT
When the potential
difference between two charges
forces a third charge to move, the
third charge in motion is an
electric current.

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 In solid materials, such as copper wire, the free
electrons are charges that can be forced to move with
relative ease by a potential difference, since they require
relatively little work to be moved.

Copper wire
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 If a potential difference is connected across two
ends of a copper wire, the applied voltage forces the
free electrons to move. This current is a drift of electrons,
from the point of negative charge at one end, moving
through the wire, and returning to the positive charge at
the other end.

Potential difference across two ends of wire conductor causes drift

of free electrons through the wire to produce electric current. BANCOROTLE102020
 To illustrate the drift of free electrons through the
wire, each electron in the middle row is numbered,
corresponding to a copper atom to which the free
electron belongs. The electron at the left is labeled S to
indicate that it comes from the negative charge of the
source of potential difference.

Potential difference across two

ends of wire conductor causes drift of
free electrons through the wire to
produce electric current.
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 This one electron S is repelled from the negative
charge –Q at the left and is attracted by the positive
charge +Q at the right. Therefore, the potential
difference of the voltage source can make electron S
move toward atom 1. Now atom 1 has an extra electron.

Potential difference across two

ends of wire conductor causes drift of
free electrons through the wire to
produce electric current.
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 As a result, the free electrons from atom to atom.
The final result is that the one free electron labeled 8 at
the extreme right moves out from the wire to return to the
positive charge of the voltage source.

Potential difference across two

ends of wire conductor causes drift of
free electrons through the wire to
produce electric current.
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 Considering this case of just one electron moving,
note that the electron returning to the positive side of the
voltage source is not the electron labeled S that left the
negative side. All electrons are the same, however, and
have the same charge. Therefore, the drift of free
electrons resulted in the charge of one electron moving
through the wire. This charge in motion is the current.
With more electrons drifting through the wire, the charge
of many electrons moves, resulting in more current.

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 The current is a continuous flow of electrons. Only
the electrons move, not the potential difference. For
ordinary applications, where the wires are not long lines,
the potential difference produces current
instantaneously through the entire length of wire.
Furthermore, the current must be the same at all points of
the wire at any time.

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Potential Difference is
Necessary to Produce
Current

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 The number of free electrons that can be forced to
drift through the wire the produce the moving charge
depends upon the amount of potential difference across
the wire.

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 With more applied voltage, the forces of attraction
and repulsion can make more free electrons drift,
producing more charge in motion. A larger amount of
charge moving during a given period of time means a
higher value of current. Less applied voltage across the
same wire results in a smaller amount of charge in
motion, which is a smaller value of current. With zero
potential difference across the wire, there is no current.

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 Two cases of zero potential difference and no
current can be considered in order to emphasize the
important fact that potential difference is needed to
produce current. Assume the copper wire to be by itself,
not connected to any voltage source, so that there is no
potential difference across the wire.

Copper wire and load is not

connected to voltage source.
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 The free electrons in the wire can move from atom
to atom, but this motion is random, without any
organized drift through the wire. If the wire is considered
as a whole, from one end to the other, the current is zero.

Only one terminal of the load is

connected to the voltage source.

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 As another example, suppose that the two ends of
the wire have the same potential. Then free electrons
cannot move to either end, because both ends have
the same force, and there is no current through the wire.

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 A practical example of this case of zero potential
difference would be to connect both ends of the wire to
just one terminal of a battery. Each end of the wire
would have the same potential, and there would be no
current.

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 The conclusion, therefore, is that connections to two
points at different potentials are needed in order to
produce the current.

Both terminal of wire and load are

connected to the voltage source with
different force or potential difference.

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The Ampere of Current

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 Since current is the movement of charge, the unit for
stating the amount of current is defined in rate of flow of
charge.

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 AMPERE
When the charge moves at the rate of 6.25 × 1018
electrons flowing past a given point per second, the
value of the current is one ampere (A). This is the same as
one coulomb of charge per second. The ampere unit of
current is named after André M. Ampere (1775-1836).

Unit of Current Ampere (A)

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André M. Ampere (1775-1836)
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 Referring back to the figure, note that 6.25 × 1018
free electrons move past p1 in 1 second (s), the current is
1A. Similarly, the current is 1A at p2 because the electron
drift is the same throughout the wire. If twice as many
electrons moved past either point in 1 s, the current
would be 2 A.

Potential difference across two ends of wire conductor causes drift

of free electrons through the wire to produce electric current. BANCOROTLE102020
 The symbol for current is I or i for intensity, since the
current is a measure of how intense or concentrated the
electron flow is.

Symbol of
Intensity (I, i)
Current

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 Two amperes of current in a copper wire is a higher
intensity that 1 A; a greater concentration of moving
electrons results because of more electrons in motion.
Sometimes current is called amperage. However, the
current in electronic circuits is usually in smaller units,
milliamperes and microamperes.

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How Current Differs from
Charge

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 Charge is a quantity of electricity accumulated in a
dielectric, which is an insulator. The charge is static
electricity, at rest, without any motion. When the charge
moves, usually in a conductor, the current I indicates the
intensity of the electricity in motion. This characteristic is a
fundamental definition of current.

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 Where;
𝑄 I - is the current in amperes
𝐼= Q - is in coulombs
𝑇 T - is the time in seconds

It does not matter whether the

moving charge is positive or
negative. The only questions is how
much charge moves and what its
rate of motion is.
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 In terms of practical units,
1𝐶
1𝐴 =
1𝑠

One ampere of current results

when one coulomb of charge
moves past a given point in 1s.

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 The fundamental definition
of current can also be used
𝑄=𝐼𝑥𝑇 to consider the charge as
equal to the product of the
current multiplied by time.

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 In terms of practical units,

1𝐶 = 1𝐴 𝑥 1𝑠
One coulomb of charge results
when one ampere of current
accumulates charge during the time
of one second. The charge is
generally accumulated in the
dielectric of a capacitor, or at the
electrodes of a battery.
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Example
We have a dielectric connected to conductors with a
current of 0.4 A. If the current can deposit electrons for the
time of 0.2 s, the accumulated charge in the dielectric will be

𝑄=𝐼𝑥𝑇
𝑄 = 0.4 𝐴 𝑥 0.2 𝑠
𝑄 = 0.08 𝐶

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 The formulas Q = IT for charge and I = Q/T for current
illustrate the fundamental nature of Q as an
accumulation of static charge in an insulator, while I
measures the intensity of moving charges in a conductor.
Furthermore, current I is different from voltage V. You can
have V without I, but you cannot have current without
an applied voltage.

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The General Nature of
Current

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 The moving charges that provide current in metal
conductors like a copper wire are the free electrons of
the copper atoms. In this case, the moving charges have
negative polarity. The direction of motion between two
terminals for this electron current, therefore, is toward the
more positive end.

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 It is important to note, however, that there are
examples of positive charges in motion. Common
application include current in liquids, gases, and
semiconductors. For the case of current resulting from
the motion of positive charges, its direction is opposite
from the direction of electron flow.

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 Whether negative or positive charges move,
though, the current is still defined fundamental as Q/T.
Note also that the current is provided by free charges,
which are easily moved by an applied voltage.

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Type of Electric Charge
for Current

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 The most common charge is the electron. In metal
conductors and solid materials in general, free electrons
in the atoms can be forced to move by applying a
potential difference. Therefore current is produced.
Type of Amount of Charge Polarity Type of
Charge Current
Electron 𝑄𝑒 = 0.16 𝑥 10−18 𝐶 Negative Electron flow In wire conductors, vacuum
tubes, and N-type
semiconductors

Ion 𝑄𝑒 or multiples of 𝑄𝑒 Positive or Ion current In liquids and gases

negative

Hole 𝑄𝑒 = 0.16 𝑥 10−18 𝐶 Positive Hole current In P-type semiconductors

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 The direction of electron flow is from the negative
terminal of the voltage source, through the external
circuit, and returning to the positive source terminal.

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 Also, electrons are released by thermionic emission
from the heated cathode in a vacuum tube. Finally, N-
type semiconductor such as silicon and germanium have
unbound electrons as a result of doping with impurity
elements that can provide valence electrons from the
added atoms.

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 For P-type semiconductors, the silicon and
germanium are doped with impurity elements that cause
a deficiency of electrons in the bonds between atoms.
Each vacant space where an electron is missing is called
hole charge.

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 The polarity is positive, opposite from the electron,
but the amount of charge is exactly the same. In short, a
hole charge is a deficiency of one valence electron in
semiconductors.

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 When hole charges move in a P-type
semiconductors, they provide hole current. The direction
of flow for the positive charges is from the positive
terminal of the voltage source, through the external
circuit, and returning to the negative source terminal.

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 An ion is an atom that has either lost or gained one
or more valence electrons to become electrically
charged. Therefore, the ion charge may be either
positive or negative. The amount may be the charge of 1
electron Qe , 2Qe ,3Qe , etc.

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 Ions can be produced by applying voltage to liquids
and gases to produce ionization of the atoms. The ions
are much less mobile than electrons or hole charge
because an ion includes a complex atom with its
nucleus.

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 Note that protons are not included as charge
carriers for current. The reason is that the protons are
bound in the nucleus. They cannot be released except
by nuclear forces. Therefore, a current of positive
charges is a flow of either hole charges or positive ions.

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 The hole charge has the same amount of charge as
the proton, which is the same amount as an electron.
However, the positive hole charge is in the valence
structure of the atoms, not in the nucleus.

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Magnetic Field Around
an Electric Current

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 When any current
flows, it has an
associated magnetic
field. The figure shows
how iron fillings line up in
a circular field pattern
corresponding to the
magnetic lines of force.

Magnetic around an electric current. Arrow for

current indicates direction of electron flow. BANCOROTLE102020
 The magnetic field
is in a plane
perpendicular to the
current. It should be
noted that the iron
fillings are just a method
of making the imaginary
lines of force visible. The
fillings become
magnetized by the
magnetic field.

Magnetic around an electric current. Arrow for

current indicates direction of electron flow. BANCOROTLE102020
 Both magnetic and
electric fields can do
the physical work of
attraction or repulsion.

Magnetic around an electric current. Arrow for

current indicates direction of electron flow. BANCOROTLE102020
BANCOROTLE102020
 The magnetic field of any current is the basis for
many electromagnetic applications, including magnets,
relays, loudspeakers, transformers, and coils in general.
Winding the conductor in the form of a coil concentrates
the magnetic field.

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Reference:

Bernard Grob, et.al.,Grob Basic

Electronics 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill Book
Company: 1993.

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