Final answer:
Chemical energy from a battery provides the electromotive force that drives electrons from the cathode to the anode through a complete circuit. The electrical field does work on the electrons, which does not increase their speed but transfers energy to the conductor's atoms, sometimes causing an increase in temperature. Superconductors can maintain current without constant energy input, unlike regular conductors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chemical energy is responsible for moving electrons from the cathode to the anode in a circuit because it is the energy stored within the chemical bonds of the materials involved. When a circuit is connected, a complete circuit allows electrons to flow. The force that initiates this movement is the electromotive force (emf), which is caused by the chemical potential energy in a battery. This chemical potential energy is due to electrical forces between the negatively charged electrons and the positively charged nuclei within the atoms of the chemical substances inside the battery.
The electric field in the circuit created by the emf does work on the electrons to move them. This process transfers energy through free-electron collisions to the atoms of the conductor, often increasing the temperature, as observed in a lightbulb filament. Superconductors are an exception to this, where a current can flow without continuous energy input due to their unique properties.
Furthermore, chemical reactions in the battery involve substances with resistance, making it impossible to create an emf without some internal resistance. This internal resistance is part of what drives the flow of electrons through the circuit from the anode to the cathode.