Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!gvgpsa!gold!grege
From: grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Greg Ebert)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: A Simple Question?
Message-ID: <1449@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>
Date: 12 Sep 90 22:57:42 GMT
References: <882.26ee58ba@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com>
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA
Lines: 28


 principe@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com writes:
>A simple question: Does electrical current posess polarity?
>
>                                            Tony P.

Almost sounds philosophical. Current is the flow of electrons, which are
defined as having negative charge. I plead ignorance in the field of plasma
physics, but I would imagine that the flow of a plasma, either positively
or negatively charged, would also constitute a current. [Could a 
sci.physicist please set me straight ?]. 

Polarity is the increase or decrease in potential energy between 2 points
(but not the _amount_; thats voltage). 

In my humble opinion, I would say that the existence of an electrical
current can only be caused by a difference in potential, thus I would say
that current DOES possess polarity.

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"Current doesn't flow"		"You cant buy watts"
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