Editing Anode (section)

==Examples==
[[File:Fig bat Discharge Charge3.png|thumb|300 px|Electric current and electrons directions for a [[secondary battery]] during discharge and charge.]]
The polarity of voltage on an anode with respect to an associated [[cathode]] varies depending on the device type and on its operating mode. In the following examples, the anode is negative in a device that provides power, and positive in a device that consumes power:

In a discharging [[Electric battery|battery]] or [[galvanic cell]] (diagram on left), the anode is the negative terminal: it is where conventional current flows into the cell. This inward current is carried externally by electrons moving outwards.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In a recharging battery, or an [[electrolytic cell]], the anode is the positive terminal imposed by an external source of potential difference. The current through a recharging battery is opposite to the direction of current during discharge; in other words, the electrode which was the cathode during battery discharge becomes the anode while the battery is recharging.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In battery engineering, it is common to designate one electrode of a rechargeable battery the anode and the other the cathode according to the roles the electrodes play when the battery is discharged. This is despite the fact that the roles are reversed when the battery is charged. When this is done, "anode" simply designates the negative terminal of the battery and "cathode" designates the positive terminal.

In a [[diode]], the anode is the terminal represented by the tail of the arrow symbol (flat side of the triangle), where conventional current flows into the device. Note the electrode naming for diodes is always based on the direction of the forward current (that of the arrow, in which the current flows "most easily"), even for types such as [[Zener diode]]s where the current of interest is the reverse current.

In [[vacuum tube]]s or [[gas-filled tube]]s, the anode is the terminal where current enters the tube.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}