Do protons move in an electrical circuit?

I like Manyoki's answer about the +ions in a battery (which are protons or groups of protons). Always look for the unexpected. But even in the rest of the circuit there are surprises. An atom is neutrally charged. read more

They DO move due to the electric field; but their motion is pretty much random and the average drift velocity is only a few cm per second; much slower than the speed at which the electromagnetic wave travels through a circuit (i.e. the speed of light). read more

No, protons do not move in an electric circuit. Electric current is the flow of valence electrons only. Conventional current is purely a concept. Electric current is often compared to the flow of water from higher position to lower position. read more

Best Answer: Protons don't move because thay are tightly bound up in the atomic nuclei. Most of the electrons are also bound inside atoms. Only a minority of electrons that are free to move around are involved in electric currents. read more