Answer to Question #108522 in Electric Circuits for val

Question

Do charged particles need to be confined to a wire? Why or why not? Give an example that supports your answer.

Answer 1

In order to conduct an electric current, charged particles not necessarily need to be confined to a wire. For instance, many electrically charged ions and electrons may be present in the air. If we apply some external electric field, all charged particles including the ions, free electrons in the air, and electrons within the wire will move accordingly producing the electric current.