DIRECTION OF CURRENT:
We know that the flow of positive as well as negative charge produces electric current. The question arises as to which kind of charges determine the direction of the current? To answer this question, let us consider the current in a circuit shown below in which the terminals of an electric cell are connected by a metallic wire to move externally from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the cell. In side the cell, the positive ions of the electrolyte move toward the positive electrode. In this way flow of charges is maintained in the closed circuit. A conection for labeling the directions of currents is needed in the same circuit, charges of opposite signs move in opposite direction.

The convention adopted for labeling the direction of the current is that all charge carries are positive and the direction of the conventional current is the direction in which such positive charges move under the influence of electric field. By definition, then, the electronic circuit in a wire is represented by an equivalent conventional current carried by the movement of equivalent positive charges moving in a direction opposite to the electronic motion.