Final answer:
An electron moves toward regions of higher potential in an electric field because it has a negative charge. The force exerted by the electric field on an electron causes it to move in the direction opposite to that of a positive charge, which moves from high to low potential.
Step-by-step explanation:
An electron moves in an electric field. It is a fundamental question in physics regarding how charged particles respond to electric fields. Electrons, which have a negative charge, will be attracted to regions of higher electric potential. This is analogous to how fluids behave when subjected to pressure differences, moving from regions of higher pressure to lower pressure, or like how positive charges in an electric field move from regions of higher potential to regions of lower potential. However, since electrons have a negative charge, they move in the opposite direction.
The explanation for this behavior is that electric fields exert a force on charged particles, which is dependent on the sign of the charge of the particles. As electrons are negatively charged, they experience a force in the direction opposite to that experienced by positive charges. This means that in an electric field, electrons will move from regions of lower potential to regions of higher potential, effectively decreasing their electric potential energy.
This movement of electrons can be observed in various applications, such as the flow of current through a metal wire, where the electric field drives the electrons from the higher potential end to the lower potential end, implying that they are moving against the electric field - from lower to higher potential. Understanding this principle is crucial in fields such as electronics and electromagnetism.