A study showing how electrons flow around sharp bends, such as those found in integrated circuits, has the potential to improve how these circuits, commonly used in electronic and optoelectronic ...

A river erodes its course. In an electric circuit, does the wiring get eroded by the current, atoms, electrons etc? — Bill "It's a reasonable analogy to think of an electric current acting like a flow ...

In solar cells, solar radiation boosts electrons to higher energy states, thereby releasing them from their atomic bonds as electricity begins to flow. Scientists have now developed a novel method to ...

If you want an electrical current to flow around a normal metal ring you have to supply enough energy to overcome the metal’s resistance – right? Not always, according to physicists in the US and ...

Regular on/off switches rely on fingers and springs to bring bits of wire together or apart. When the wires touch, electrons flow from one to the other, and your computer/nightlight/sock warmer is on.

Time to retire the old soldering iron? In the “atomtronic” circuits pictured on the right, it is atoms, not electrons, that flow. Such circuits could form the basis for ultra-sensitive gyroscopes.

Key learning points Electrical charges What are free electrons? Cell polarity Conventional current direction Electrons orbit the nucleus. An atom has a neutral charge, because it contains the same ...