This is a great project. It’s simple, cheap, and looks like it works great.
I received an email this morning from a fellow who had downloaded my study guide. He wrote:
On page 5 you state, “In Figure 1, the letter I stands for current. Current flows from the positive (+) terminal of the voltage source through the circuit to the negative terminal of the voltage source.” Is this correct? I’ve read a couple of other places that it is from negative to positive.
I get this question all the time. I think that this video does a great job of explaining that while electrons do flow from negative to positive, we still use the convention that current flows from positive to negative.
Steve Robert, W1SFR, makes some great keys. His keys are unique in that they use torsion bars for tensioning instead of springs or magnets. After watching this video, I think I might want to pick up one for myself.
ChucK K4RGN says
Yes, electrons move within a conductor — but very slowly, like an inch per second. The energy of an electric current is actually in the field around the conductor, not inside the conductor. The conductor simply defines how the strength of the field extends over space.
Dan KB6NU says
Did you see that video that tries to explain this? I couldn’t find it when I searched around for it.