Question

In a metallic conductor, electric current is thought to be due to the movement of:
A. ions
B. amperes
C. electrons
D. protons

Answer 1

Hint: In any metallic conductor the current is due to the flow of the charged particles. Current can flow due to ions or any other charge particle which are freely available for the movement through the conductor.

Complete answer:
As we know that the formula for the current tells us that the current is the result of the charge flowing through the conductor per unit time. That is,
$I = \dfrac{Q}{t}$, where $I$ is the current, $Q$ is the charge and $t$ is the time.
So, from the above discussion it is clear that the current in conductor flows due to the movement of the charge.
In metals protons are bounded and hence the free available charge particle remains as an electron. So, there is one electron as a charge particle which can contribute to the flow of the current through the metallic conductors.
So, in a metallic conductor, electric current is thought to be due to the movement of electrons.

So, the correct answer is “Option C”.

Note:
The direction of an electric current is by convention the direction in which a positive charge would move. Thus, the current in the external circuit is directed away from the positive terminal of the battery and goes toward the negative terminal of the battery while the Electrons are negatively charged particle so the direction of the flow of the electrons in the conductor will be opposite to the direction of the flow of the current. So, the electrons will flow from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the voltage source.