Date:         Tue, 6 Oct 1998 19:01:19 -0700
Reply-To:     Malcolm Holser <mholser@ADOBE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Malcolm Holser <mholser@ADOBE.COM>
Subject:      Re: All you want to know...(no VW content)
Comments: To: Bulley-Hewlett & Associates <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>,
          Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
In-Reply-To:  <01BDF153.BAE9B560@ip243.raleigh4.nc.pub-ip.psi.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>All electrical items in your vehicle require two forms or "directions" of
>electricity: Positive, (supplying electrons), and Negative, (sucking in
>electrons). You can think of these like the water pipes in your home (if
>you are lucky enough to have indoor plumbing). The positive is like the
>pressurized water coming in, and the negative is like the water (sewage)
>going out.

Hmmm.  I think this is wrong -- the electrons come out of the negative
terminal
and go into the positive one -- positive sucks and negative supplies.  I know
this makes no sense, but the standard for "positive" and "negative" were
established long before we knew what carried the charge.  For most things it
makes no difference, and the schematics are all drawn as if the flow was
reversed.  I just hate perpetuating the original mistake.  So for cars, the
frame is actually the _source_ of the current.

So electrons carry electrical current.  Electrons are negatively charged.
More
electrons on one side, more negative, and they will flow, if allowed, to the
side with fewer (less negative, more positive) electrons.  Protons are
positive
and they generally don't flow too well.

Malcolm