Editing Electric charge (section)

== Role of charge in electric current ==
[[Electric current]] is the flow of electric charge through an object. The most common [[charge carriers]] are the positively charged [[proton]] and the negatively charged [[electron]]. The movement of any of these charged particles constitutes an electric current. In many situations, it suffices to speak of the ''[[conventional current]]'' without regard to whether it is carried by positive charges moving in the direction of the conventional current or by negative charges moving in the opposite direction. This macroscopic viewpoint is an approximation that simplifies electromagnetic concepts and calculations.

At the opposite extreme, if one looks at the microscopic situation, one sees there are many ways of carrying an [[electric current]], including: a flow of electrons; a flow of electron [[electron hole|holes]] that act like positive particles; and both negative and positive particles ([[ion]]s or other charged particles) flowing in opposite directions in an [[electrolyte|electrolytic]] [[Solution (chemistry)|solution]] or a [[plasma (physics)|plasma]].

The direction of the conventional current in most metallic wires is opposite to the [[drift velocity]] of the actual charge carriers; i.e., the electrons.