Flow of Electric Charge in a Metallic Conductor

You may have noticed that when you comb your hair and keep the comb on the dressing table, the comb attracts small pieces of paper. This is caused by the electric field around the comb’s electrically charged particles. 

An object placed within the electric field will experience a push or pull force. Electrons can move from one atom to another. Such flow of electrons generates an electric current, which generates the electric field. The flow of the electric charge in a metallic conductor is responsible for the generation of most electric currents and fields.

Electric charge

When a matter is exposed to an electromagnetic field, it develops an electric charge, which results in a force. There might be a positive or negative electric charge (commonly carried by protons and electrons).

Charges of similar kinds repel each other, while charges of different kinds attract each other. An object with no net charge is neutral. The type of charge that an atom or element carries depends on the number of protons and electrons it contains. This number differs for each atom as electrons can move from one atom to another.

The SI unit of electric charge is Coulomb, represented with the symbol Q. One Coulomb is the amount of charge that goes across the cross-section of a one-ampere electrical conductor in one second. Electric charges generate electric fields. A magnetic field is also generated due to a moving electric charge. The electromagnetic force arises from the interaction of electric charges with an electromagnetic field (a mixture of electric and magnetic fields).

The flow of the electric charge of a metallic conductor

If an electric field is applied to an electric charge, the charge is bound to experience a force. It will move if it is free, contributing to a current. Even if an electric field is supplied, the electrons in some materials will remain bound, i.e., they will not accelerate. 

Some electrons in other materials, particularly metals, are practically free to flow inside the bulk material. When an electric field is applied to these materials, such as metals, electric currents are generated in them. When we think of solid metallic conductors, the atoms are naturally closely connected. The current is carried by the negatively charged electrons when electrons move from one atom to another.

Consider the situation where there is no electric field. The electron can move from one atom to another due to thermal motion, colliding with the stationary ions. When an electron collides with an ion, it emerges at the same speed as before. The direction of its velocity following the collision, on the other hand, is unpredictable.

There is no favoured direction for electron velocities at any particular time. As a result, the number of electrons moving in any direction will equal the number of electrons moving oppositely on average. As a result, no net electric current will exist.

The electrons will be directed towards +Q as a result of this field. As a result, they will move to neutralise the charges. The electrons will form an electric current as long as they are travelling. As a result, there will be a current for a brief time and then no current in the condition under consideration.

Electric current

Any movement of electric charge carriers, such as subatomic charged particles, for example, electrons with a negative charge. The electric current is generated because electrons can move from one atom to another.

The quantity of charge passing any point of the wire per unit of time is the electric current in the wire where the electrons are the charge carriers.

Ohm’s law states that current flowing through a conductor is proportional to voltage V and resistance R, which is written as V = IR and I is used as the symbol to represent the current.

The electric field

Electrically charged particles create the electric field. The electrically charged particle may be positive or negative.

The electric charge of a particle is positive if the number of protons in the particle exceeds the number of electrons.

When the number of electrons in a particle exceeds the number of protons, the electric charge is negative. The electric field could never be negative, even if the electric charges have negative values because the field is the force that is felt when the charge is divided by its magnitude.

Conclusion

Electrons are the negatively charged particles present in an atom. Electrons can move from one atom to another, leading to electric current and electric field. The positive or negative charge on any atom is the electric charge. An electric field influences the electric charges. Electric current is the flow of electrons. The electric current is represented by the symbol I. The electric field is a force field by electrically charged particles. Other charged particles experience push or pull force in an electric field. Metals easily facilitate the flow of electrons as they have free electrons.