the arrows on transistor scematic actually point the oppisite way of electron flow... and that the "collector" is actually where the flow is being released...

it was hard to wrap my mind around because i was so used to hooking up the battery through a resistor to the "collector"... where i thought the flow was entering the tranny..? very strange!
local library's are a good thing i guess... :wink:

Hmmm. I think most of us just regard electricity as a shift in positive charge But you're right though, I'd never thought of it that way. Most interesting.... I guess Volta decided he wanted protons to move around

Ah well, you see, ol' Ben Franklin decided to clarify things by taking a guess at whether 'electric particles' were positively or negatively charged. It was a brave leap, with a 50:50 chance of success, and he blew it. Electrons are negatively charged. D'oh.

Then along came the semiconductor physicists and announced that there were 'positive' carriers in semiconductors called 'holes'. Holes are where electrons should be, but aren't...

After that, it all gets a bit confusing. But, to this day, 'conventional' current goes positive to negative, while electrons go the other way. It's exactly the same as sitting in a car, while the wheels push the earth from where you start to where you want to go, while you stand still.  :shock:

It is worth noting that, when presented with evidence of charge flow from negative to positive, Franklin admitted that his earlier supposition was wrong. Lesser men might have stuck stubbornly to their own theories.

But, the damage was done. "Conventional" current (positive to negative) is something we are stuck with.

And the logic works doesn't it? I mean if you don't think too much about the actual thing happening it works fine with positive going to negative

The only time I really think about electron flow is for tubes. They just don't make sense otherwise.

Hmm I forgot about that... :? But otherwise I don't really have a problem with positive charge flowing

Well I thought I wasn't confuzed...now I am!!!
 Thanks guys...lol
 I read and thought that the electrons are all densly populating a charged battery at the negative pole, when a circuit is made between - to+ current flows from - TO + ...
  comments.....
 IIRC...somebody switched it around once and kinda made what should be a simple thing m,essy.

QuoteI read and thought that the electrons are all densly populating a charged battery at the negative pole, when a circuit is made between - to+ current flows from - TO + ...

That is (pretty much) correct. Electrons flow from - to + . Conventional current flows the other direction.

wow... someone actually using the word "ironic" in a vaguely correct sence.  Well done nightingale!!!

Actually, he used ironic wrong.

Here's the correct way, "Hey look at that Delorean, isn't it ironic?"

Or hay, look at this hammer, wonder how high its ironic content is?

How's that for irony?   :lol:   Oh wait, they're just really bad puns. Sorry.   :cry:

I should have said, "It’s ironic that it was used correctly."

I still think you're wrong java, the example I'm thinking of is;

"Hey look, a dog... how ironic."

or;
"Hey look, we're both standing at the piss trough... how ironic!"

or;
"Wow, a car stopped at the traffic lights... how ironic!"


Words that are often replaced incorrectly by "ironic";

Unfortunate
Perplexing
Intriguing
Coincidental
Annoying


And don't even get me started on apostrophes!

How about....

A good vacuum cleaner really sucks. That's ironic.

Take care,
-Peter

No, Mr Snowberg, a device that sucks in air is inspirational.  

nightingale - as was said before, the ancients guessed wrong.  Diodes are also backwards for conventional current...

if you _really_ wanna get confused, try learning about AC...maaannnn

::cries::