Which statement is true about electron flow?

Which statement is true about electron flow?

• A. Electrons move from the negative terminal to the positive terminal.
• B. Electrons move from the positive terminal to the negative terminal.
• C. Electrons do not move in a circuit.
• D. The direction of electron flow is unrelated to current.

Answer: (A)

Electrons move from the negative terminal to the positive terminal. That’s because electrons are negatively charged and are pushed out of the battery’s negative end, then travel through the external circuit toward the positive end, delivering energy to the load. In circuits, the conventional current direction is defined as the direction positive charges would move, which is opposite to the actual electron flow. So while current exists, it is considered to flow from positive to negative, even though electrons move from negative to positive. The other statements conflict with this reality: electrons do move in a circuit, and their direction is not “unrelated” to current but opposite to conventional current. The idea that electrons move from the positive terminal to the negative terminal is the reverse of what happens.

Electrons move from the negative terminal to the positive terminal. That’s because electrons are negatively charged and are pushed out of the battery’s negative end, then travel through the external circuit toward the positive end, delivering energy to the load.

In circuits, the conventional current direction is defined as the direction positive charges would move, which is opposite to the actual electron flow. So while current exists, it is considered to flow from positive to negative, even though electrons move from negative to positive. The other statements conflict with this reality: electrons do move in a circuit, and their direction is not “unrelated” to current but opposite to conventional current. The idea that electrons move from the positive terminal to the negative terminal is the reverse of what happens.