In this particular matter about the true direction of current flow, I
agree with Bill, for a change... While it is understandable that back in
the dark ages it was defined the wrong way, because people simply didn't
know a lot about electricity, it's stupid that this mistake is still
being taught.
In an abstract way, I have no trouble at all to imagine current as a
flow of charges, and I'm comfortable with analyzing circuits using
either "conventional" or true sense of current flow. But I see no point
in using the "conventional" sense. Specially when it comes pretty
physical, almost mechanical things, like the operation principles of
vacuum tubes.
In semiconductors it's easy to work with electrons and "holes" as
equivalent but opposite charge carriers, but the truth (according to
present day knowledge of physics!) is that ONLY the electrons actually
move around any charges. A hole moving is nothing else than an electron
moving in the opposite direction. And in tubes there are no such
"holes", and any electronics teacher would have a pretty hard time
teaching their internal operation based on conventional flow sense of
current. When it comes to cathode ray tubes, we are at the summit of
stupidity if we try to explain them with current flow from positive to
negative!
Years ago I started writing a book about electronics, in a practical
way. I never quite finished it. But in that book I mention
"conventional" flow sense of current only as a historic curiosity and a
proof of Murphy's Laws when guessing something without knowing it! All
explanations how things work are based on actual flow of electrons, even
in P-type semiconductors.
After all, this is electronics, not holonics nor positronics.
Manfred
========================
Visit my hobby homepage!
http://ludens.cl
========================
_______________________________________________
Amps mailing list
Amps@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
|