I’m trying to understand the reasoning behind grounding the negative side of a battery in vehicle electrical systems, given that the negative terminal has an abundance of electrons. In electron flow theory, electrons move from the negative terminal (where there is an excess of electrons) to the positive terminal (where there is a deficit of electrons).
If the negative terminal is the source of electrons, why do we consider it a “sink” and connect it to the chassis ground? Wouldn’t it make more sense to ground the positive side, which is where the electrons are flowing to?
Additionally, I’m interested in learning about the thought process and design principles that electrical engineers follow when making this decision. What are the safety, performance, and practical implications of grounding one terminal over the other?
In: Physics
In electrical theory it doesn’t matter which convention you choose.
In the real world where we live in a wet, oxygen-rich environment though, positive ground encourages corrosion of the surrounding bodywork whearas with negative ground the electrical contacts tend corrode, and these are in theory easier to replace and/or protect.
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