I'm not sure flipping the assignments would have helped with understanding the flow of electrical energy. It might even re-enforce the common misconceptions bei

I'm not sure flipping the assignments would have helped with understanding the flow of electrical energy. It might even re-enforce the common misconceptions being outlined in the article here. One, electrical energy does not flow from cathode to anode. Nor does it go the other way. The energy goes down both wires, from source to load. Two, it's an arbitrary decision if you want to talk about negative charges going east, or positive charges going west. They're equivalent when talking about a net-neutral wire. There are a lot of symmetries in the world that we break by arbitrary convention. The polarity of subatomic particles, the right-hand rule used in vector mathematics, the way bolts are threaded. The alien society might just use a "left-hand rule" for their magnetism and vector operations, and have clocks that turn opposite of ours (which probably means their planet orbits the opposite way?) As far as car batteries go, the reason to disconnect the (–) first is because it's almost always* the chassis ground. If you were to work on an ancient Volkswagen, then you'd be told to disconnect the (+) cable first. Disconnecting the other terminal first is more dangerous; your wrench is a perfect short circuiting tool! * And the reason we all use negative for chassis ground has to do with galvanic corrosion, I think?