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Electronics book teaching from electron theory flow

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LAN_403

Undisclosed_Browser

Mon May 09 2011, 10:52PM

Registered Member #3870 Joined: Mon May 09 2011, 10:40PM
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Posts: 2

Newb here, trying to find a electronics/circuit book that instructs from electron theory flow - not conventional flow. Did a search on google and a search here, couldn't find anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mattski

Mon May 09 2011, 11:28PM

Registered Member #1792 Joined: Fri Oct 31 2008, 08:12PM
Location: University of California
Posts: 527

I think that the series by Tony Kuphaldt used to use electron flow, though it has been updated to follow conventional flow. Maybe you can find an old version somewhere.

As much as conventional flow is sort of misleading (you can thank Ben Franklin for choosing which charge was negative and positive) if you want to really learn circuits you might as well go with the conventional way. There is no information lost in conventional current flow method, the arrows are just reverse of electron flow.

klugesmith

Mon May 09 2011, 11:37PM

Registered Member #2099 Joined: Wed Apr 29 2009, 12:22AM
Location: Los Altos, California
Posts: 1716

Well, you will find electron flow as a key concept
in any reference about how thermionic devices (vacuum tubes) work.
And you will find electron and hole flow as key concepts
in any reference about how semiconductor devices work.
[edit] and moving electrons and positive and negative ions in gases/plasmas and electrolytes.

As for how those devices behave in electrical circuits,
for example when we talk about the current in a wire,
what is the point of learning to think in terms of electron flow?
Then you will have to reverse your thinking whenever you deal
with mainstream books, scientists, engineers, and technicians.
The sign convention was adopted before 1750 (see DuFay, Franklin).
So the theory of electrons is relatively recent in the history of quantitative electrical science.
Why should conventional teaching be turned around just because some currents have exclusively negative charge carriers?

[edit] As Mattski pointed out, circuit theory and EM field theory have identical forms if the sign convention is reversed, except where right-hand rules become left-hand and v/v.

[edit edit] Regular readers here know this is a hot button of mine.
Except when considering the internal operation of vacuum and semiconductor devices,
there is nothing lost by considering electric current to be the motion of positive charge.
Electrons were unknown when standard volts, amperes, and ohms were established,
along with successful telecom systems, electric motors and lights,
3-phase AC distribution grids, and utility tariffs.

Undisclosed_Browser

Tue May 10 2011, 01:36AM

Registered Member #3870 Joined: Mon May 09 2011, 10:40PM
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Posts: 2

I've heard all the pro's and con's of conv. vs. elec. flow theory, and I surely don't want to start a never-ending thread (seen plenty of them on flow theory). I just find it easier for me to conceptualize circuit dynamics (especially w/semi's). The book I have Practical Electronics for Inventors (Paul Scherz) uses conv. flow and I'd prefer to come from the standpoint of elec. flow. Thanks for the info.

magnet18

Tue May 10 2011, 03:36AM

Registered Member #3766 Joined: Sun Mar 20 2011, 05:39AM
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Posts: 624

The AAC e-book

is all from the electron flow point of view.
They also have a very active forum.

Dr. Slack

Tue May 10 2011, 07:17AM

Registered Member #72 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:29AM
Location: UK St. Albans
Posts: 1659

If you limit your reference material to "electron flow" sources, then you will be shutting yourself off from much very useful literature. That is really the bottom line for you. If you want to think of electron flow as your mother-tongue, then that's fine, just regard learning to read conventional current reference sources as becoming fluent in a foreign language, you can even permit yourself the occasional "urrggh" as you read

If you need to know the difference between an electron and a hole, then you aren't doing electronics, at least not at the level where you connect bought components with wires, or fire off large impressive sparks from scary-looking equipment.

The most important thing in electronic materials, whether they be conductors, semi-conductors or insulators, is the lattice of atoms, with its Fermi levels. These determine whether there are no, a few, or many mobile carriers. In an intrinsic semi-conductor, there are a few holes and electrons kicking around. Both are fully paid-up card-carrying quantum mechanical objects, they have mass, charge, speed, momentum, they get scattered by phonons. Usually the semiconductor is doped to introduce an excess of one or the other type. In a 'P' type semiconductor where holes are the major carriers, I'm not sure how you'd visualise the operation more easily by concentrating on how the electrons moved?

Sulaiman

Tue May 10 2011, 12:18PM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

I too agree with the above comments;

when considering circuits stay with 'conventional' current flow

only when studying the physics of an individual electronic component consider electron flow

radiotech

Wed May 11 2011, 05:39AM

Registered Member #2463 Joined: Wed Nov 11 2009, 03:49AM
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Posts: 1546

If you must use the word flow, then first go back to
Faraday's Laws of Electrolysis and begin with electroplating
chemistry. That will cement the concept of anything that
flows physicslly in your mind dealing with electrons.

James

Wed May 11 2011, 04:58PM

Registered Member #3610 Joined: Thu Jan 13 2011, 03:29AM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 506

Steve Conner

Thu May 12 2011, 08:41AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

I'm also a moderator on the Music Electronics Forum, and most people learn electronic theory with conventional current, and get all confused when they try to understand the operation of vacuum tubes, which of course have electrons as the charge carrier. I presume this is the justification for learning circuit theory in terms of electron flow.

But as was pointed out, semiconductors can have charge carriers of either polarity or even both polarities at once, so the justification breaks down.

Transistors and IGBTs use both kinds simultaneously, which is why they're called "bipolar". MOSFETs use only one kind: electrons in N-channel devices and holes in P-channel. (Question to ponder: What polarity was the first ever transistor? Were the emitter and collector named correctly? What were they emitting and collecting?)

I have heard of a basic electronics course that took semiconductor physics back to regular wires, and referred to conventional current as "holes", but I thought this was a really stupid idea.

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