A simple direct-current (DC) circuit consists of a battery connected to a straight copper wire that runs from the positive terminal to the negative terminal. No arrows indicating current are shown.
Assume the wire is oriented horizontally, with the battery’s positive terminal on the left and its negative terminal on the right.
(a) Identify the direction in which conventional current flows through the wire. State your answer as either “left to right” or “right to left.”
(b) Describe the actual motion of the conduction electrons in the wire. State the direction of their drift motion and explain how this direction compares with your answer to part (a).
(c) Provide a qualitative explanation for why the term “conventional current” is defined in terms of positive charge motion even though electrons are the mobile charge carriers in metals. Your explanation should reference historical context and at least one practical advantage of using the conventional definition.