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An electron moves from negatively charged to positively charged terminal of a battery. When it does so, its electric potential energy decreases i.e it moves from high to low electric potential. But it is said that it moves from lower to higher potential. Why does that contradiction exist? Or is there a difference between potential and electric potential?

user171403
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    But it is said... Where or who said this? –  Dec 09 '17 at 16:37
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    That's right. Who decides, what is positive and what is negative? Electron is the most important particle in modern life, clearly it should be positive. When i will be the president, we will pass a bill declaring electron charge to be positive, so biggest disgrace of modern era will be fixed –  Dec 09 '17 at 16:41
  • Are you studying conventional (hole) flow or electron flow? – ThreePhaseEel Dec 09 '17 at 16:44
  • Well its all over the internet and I have read it in an intermediate level book. Positive is termed as high potential but is that just a convention or is it actually positive charge. – user171403 Dec 09 '17 at 16:48
  • Just answer the question that whether an electron moves from low to high or high to low potential? – user171403 Dec 09 '17 at 16:50

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Potential energy and "potential" when referring to voltage are two very different concepts. Yes, the electron moves from a lower voltage to a higher voltage (potential), given the way that we've defined the sign of the electron charge. But it also reduces its potential energy at the same time.

Dave Tweed
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  • What do you mean by voltage. Is it e.potential energy per unit charge or something else. – user171403 Dec 09 '17 at 16:59
  • Why are we using that sign convention. Logically electron moves from a region where it has high p.e to a region of low p.e. So we should say that an electron has moved from high to low voltage. (Voltage is actually electric potential i.e potential energy per unit charge.) Please don't mind my poor concepts. If I am wrong about voltage then please correct me. – user171403 Dec 09 '17 at 17:09
  • Yes, exactly. Since the charge on the electron is by definition negative, a higher potential energy is a more negative (less positive) voltage. – Dave Tweed Dec 09 '17 at 17:43
  • I figured it out man. Thank you for your answer and time. Have a nice day. – user171403 Dec 09 '17 at 17:48