Question

a physics question since the physics forum is empty:

Answer 1

since current is the amount of positive charge, does a high current have low electrons?

Answer 2

@hoblos

Answer 3

in other words, assuming same voltage, what happens to the amount of electrons flowing through the circuit when the resistor is changed from 15 to 30 ohms. I know the current decreases, so does that mean i have more electrons since the charge is less positive

Answer 4

actually i'm not so good at this
but according to your given

"current is the amount of positive charge", then a high current would have a high positive charge

and electrons have a negative charge, so there must be low electrons

not sure though!

Answer 5

isn't R = V/I when the current decreases isn't that for conventional current?

Answer 6

So in a way I think it would make sense if the amount of electrons increased as the conventional current decreases, but I'm not sure.

Answer 7

ya im not sure either

Answer 8

it sounds logical that it would occur this way, but not sure

Answer 9

The thing about physics is, when you start thinking logical it's usually wrong haha >.<

Answer 10

Especially at the atomic stage

Answer 11

although current is defined as:

Answer 12

\[{ \Delta(q) }/{\Delta(t }\]

Answer 13

please chime in angus any ideas will be appriciated

Answer 14

Current is defined as the speed of the variation of electrons (or rate of variation) in the unit of time aka Q/t, where Q is the quantity of charge flowing through a point in a time period of t.

So when the charge goes up, the current goes up as well and as the current goes down, the charge goes down as well.

Or by Ohm's law, I=V/R - assuming V is constant - by increasing R you decrease I. By decreasing I, you're decreasing Q (because t remains constant cause this ain't relativistic mechanics).

So if current is the amount of positive charge, it means that by decreasing the current, you're decreasing the charge thus decreasing the positive charge.

Answer 15

so if the current decreases, I have more electrons?

Answer 16

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1y7qxo9fxcBLoxfYA1M_0L3HDsaF6tT8uOI8b2HMzDHk/edit#slide=id.i15 at slide 3 on here it seems like less current=less electrons

Answer 17

The fact that "the direction of the current is the direction of the positive charges" is only - and I mean ONLY - a conventional thing. In reality, the negative charges are the ones that cause current.

Answer 18

Yeah isn't it true, I remember reading that convential current, we don't even know that it's real?

Answer 19

@angus, so by that your saying current is not really the amount of + charge, but the ++++ current is just the way its flowing and if current increases so does the amount electrons

Answer 20

i remember my teacher saying it isn't really the way it actually works, CC that is

Answer 21

The day a proton will shoot up from inside the nucleus and start floating around will be the day nuclear fission will disappear from the dictionary to be replaced with "electrical current".

Answer 22

That's a fascinating statement right there.

Answer 23

so bro @AngusV as current increases you say electrons increase? Physics is interesting, but im trying to finish my hw!

Answer 24

i think it increases

Answer 25

by said discussion

Answer 26

I still have a hard time understanding all this electric stuff haha, but technically I think it would decrease because negative charges are the ones that actually cause the change in current.

Answer 27

TRUE OR FALSE: an increase in current is an increase in electrons.

Answer 28

So, to sum it up.

Conventionally, we write that the current flows from + to - because reasons. In all actuality (as it is written in your slide) it's the flow of electrons that causes current. So in actuality, by increasing the current, you increase the charge and thus more electrons will flow in the same unit of time.

Answer 29

thank you angus!

Answer 30

True!

Answer 31

You're welcome.