Detailed notes on electric current

When electric charges travel, such as negatively charged electrons or positively charged charge carriers, such as positive ions, electric current is produced.

Electric current is at the heart of electricity and is one of the most fundamental notions in electrical and electronic research.

Whether it’s an electric heater, a big electrical grid system, a mobile phone, a computer, a remote sensor node, or anything else, the concept of electrical current is at the heart of its operation.

Electric Current:-

The passage of electric charge in a circuit is known as an electric current. The pace at which charge flows past a certain location in an electric circuit is known as the electric current. Negatively charged electrons, as well as positive charge carriers like protons, positive ions, and holes, can carry the charge.

The movement of electrons within a substance is the core concept of current. Electrons are extremely small particles that make up the molecular structure. These electrons are sometimes confined securely within the molecules and can travel around the structure quite easily, and other times they are held loosely and can move around the structure relatively freely.

One thing to keep in mind about electrons is that they are charged particles, meaning they have a negative charge. When they move, a certain amount of charge moves with them, and this is known as current.

It’s also worth mentioning that the quantity of electrons that can move determines a substance’s ability to conduct electricity. Some materials are better at allowing current to flow than others.

The travel of free electrons is generally quite haphazard – it is random – with as many electrons moving in one direction as in the other, resulting in no overall charge movement.

If a force operates on the electrons to move them in a certain way, they will all drift in the same direction, although in a haphazard manner, but there will be a general movement in one direction.

The electromotive force, or EMF, is the force that acts on electrons, and its magnitude is measured in volts.

Current can be likened to water flow in a pipe to acquire a better grasp of what it is and how it behaves in a conductor. Although this comparison has limitations, it serves as a basic demonstration of current and current flow.

Water moving through a pipe might be compared to the current. When pressure is applied to one end of the pipe, the water is forced to flow in one direction. The amount of water that flows is related to the amount of pressure that is applied to the end. The electromotive force can be compared to the pressure or force applied to the end.

When water is permitted to flow as a result of a tap being opened or when pressure is applied to the pipe, the water flows almost instantly. The same can be said of electrical current.

To get a sense of the flow of electrons, a current of one ampere requires 6.24 billion billion electrons per second.

Direction of flow of electric current :-

According to this concept the electron flows from the negative to positive terminal. Electrons are negatively charged and, as opposite charges attract, are drawn to the positive terminal.

Units of electric current:-

Let us know what the current is and what unit we should use to measure it.

Coulombs per second is the unit of measurement for electric current. The Ampere is the SI unit of electric current and is represented by the letter A. One coulomb of charge travelling past a place in one second is defined as an ampere. The electrical current running through our frame is ‘One Ampere’ if there are 6.241 x 1018 electrons flowing through it in one second.

The unit ampere, as well as multipliers like milliamp (0.001A), microamp (0.000001A), and so on, are widely used in electrical and electronic technologies.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current:-

A magnetic field is a force field created by magnetic dipoles and moving electric charges, which exerts a force on surrounding moving charges and magnetic dipoles. Because it has both magnitude and direction, the magnetic field is a vector quantity.

A magnetic field line, also known as a force line, depicts the strength and direction of a magnet’s force. Michael Faraday invented it to view the magnetic field.

Inside the magnet, magnetic field lines run from south pole to north pole, whereas outside the magnet, they run from north pole to south pole.

Effect of electric current:

Assume that an electric current is flowing from north to south, or up to down, through a vertically hung straight current-carrying conductor. In this situation, the magnetic field will rotate clockwise. The magnetic field rotates in the opposite direction when the same current passes from south to north through the same conductor.

The direction of the magnetic field in an electric current passing through a straight conductor can be described using the Right-Hand Thumb Rule.

Conclusion:-

The passage of electric charge in a circuit is known as an electric current. The pace at which charge flows past a certain location in an electric circuit is known as the electric current. Negatively charged electrons, as well as positive charge carriers like ions can be the carriers.

Coulombs per second or Ampere is the SI unit of electric current and is represented by the letter A. One coulomb of charge travelling past a place in one second is defined as an ampere. A magnetic field is a force field created by magnetic dipoles and moving electric charges, which exerts a force on surrounding moving charges and magnetic dipoles.