Direction of drift velocity vs direction of current

[MrBlank]

TL;DR Summary

Is the direction of the drift velocity in a wire the same as the direction of the (conventional) current?

I've done internet searches on this. There doesn't seem to be any agreement. Is the direction of the drift velocity in a wire the same as the (conventional) current?

[AI Chatbot reference deleted by the Mentors]

 

[Baluncore]

See the diagram.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drift_velocity

 

[MrBlank]

See the diagram.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drift_velocity

The diagram is labeled "Drift velocity of electrons". You could just as easily make a diagram labeled "Drift velocity of holes".

Is the conventional drift velocity in the same direction as the conventional current?

 

[Ibix]

Conventional current is the flow of positive charge in one direction. Electrons have negative charge, so if they are the mobile species they flow in the oposite direction to the conventional current. It was an unfortunate sign choice.

 

[Baluncore]

Is the conventional drift velocity in the same direction as the conventional current?

If you are going to use the term "drift velocity", you must specify clearly what charge carrier you are referring to.
The conventional current drift velocity is in the same direction as the conventional current, which is in the same direction as the holes.

 

[Meir Achuz]

What are holes in a current carrying wire?

 

[Baluncore]

What are holes in a current carrying wire?

A hole is the place where an electron was before it moved. Another electron can then drop into that vacant hole.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_hole

 

[Gordianus]

I think the OP had electrons in mind ("standard" metal). As for holes, they are a very useful tool to study solid media where electrons some behave strangely but holes aren't empty locations in normal 3D space.

 

[Klystron]

The OP specified "wire" but electron drift also occurs in vacuum. Though out of vogue, vacuum tubes demonstrate electron motion without the cumbersome chemical characteristics of copper wire and related metal carriers.

Essentially, electrons 'boil off' the cathode, traverse free space, then collect on the anode. Grids, plates, magnetic fields, RF inputs and electrostatics keep things interesting. Electron bunching and drift play a major role in my namesake klystron design, indeed all TWTs.