Here is the card to keep from this lesson: the two directions, side by side.
On a battery-and-heater diagram, the current arrow points from + through the heater to −. Which way do the free electrons drift through the heater?
Write down the rule:
The free electrons drift opposite to the conventional current.
Apply it:
The arrow through the heater runs + to −, so the electrons drift the other way: − to +.
The free electrons drift through the heater from the − side toward the + side.
A wire's free electrons are observed drifting to the left. Which way is the conventional current drawn in that wire?
Write down the rule:
Conventional current points opposite to the electron drift.
Apply it:
The electrons drift left, so the drawn current points right.
The conventional current is drawn to the right.
In a metal wire outside the battery, which way do the free electrons drift?
The conventional-current arrow through a lamp points left to right. Which way do the lamp's free electrons drift?
A flashlight lights the instant it is switched on, yet each free electron drifts at less than 1 millimeter per second. Why does the bulb light at once?
On a battery-and-motor schematic, the current arrow points from + through the motor to −. The free electrons in the motor's wires move…
Ava says the electrons in a lamp's circuit race around the loop at high speed, and that is why the lamp lights instantly. What is wrong with her claim?
Which pair of directions is correct for a wire outside the battery?