In a generator a magnet spins in the middle of a coil of wire and the changing magnetic field causes current to flow, but the current changes direction whenever fields from a new pole of the magnet cross a point on the wire, so will the current move towards the north pole or towards the south pole (rather the part of the wire being touched by the pole's magnetic field).
I know that when you use current to magnetize something the north end of the magnet is the end that was negative, so I would assume that current would move away from the north. Is that correct?
To make things more clear I have added this diagram. Assume the generator is running. Would electrons be taking the blue or the red path?
Best Answer
(a) "when you use current to magnetize something the north end of the magnet is the end that was negative" I'm afraid that this suggests a misunderstanding. The direction of magnetisation is determined by the direction of current around the coil, not along its length. You need to consult a textbook and learn about the right hand grip rule.
(b) If, in your diagram, the left hand side of the coil is coming towards us, and the right hand side is going into the screen, away from us, then, according to Fleming's right hand generator rule, the blue arrow gives the direction of the induced conventional current (if the circuit is complete). Therefore the electrons, being negative, are flowing in the direction of the red arrow. Things are reversed if the right hand side of the coil is coming towards us.
It is misleading to think of electrons going towards or away from either of the magnet's poles.
(c) Electromagnetism needs to be learnt step-by-step. It isn't difficult, but there is quite a lot of detail to master. It's much easier to do this of you follow a logical sequence – such as you will find in a competent textbook.