The traditional model of electricity as a `stream` of electrons flowing down a wire can be replaced by a more mechanistic model where the atoms in the current carrying wire is described as a string of rotating magnetic fields powered by the rotating permanent magnet in the dynamo source. It is already accepted that individual atoms have associated N-S magnetic fields. Furthermore it is an obvious observation that alternating current is generated by rotating a permanent magnet around the current carrying wire. If these two observations are put together a simple model can be constructed that can explain AC current without resorting to an imaginary stream of electrons. For a simple explanation assume the current carrying wire is one atom in diameter. This would make the wire equivelent to a row of atoms looped in a circuit. In the dynamo mechanism a magnet is rotated around one end of this circuit. To explain the current one only has to extrapolate what happens to the atom nearest the magnet. The dynamo magnet will induce a rotation in the magnetic field of the first atom which in turn will induce a rotation the next atom. This continues along the wire as long as the dynamo source rotates. The result is a rotating `wave` of atoms propagating around the wire circuit. With an oscillation frequency dictated by the amount of turns the dynamo source makes per second. One advantage with this model over the imaginary stream of electrons model is that one can observe electromagnetic waves (radio ) propagating away from the wire. Which will have the same frequency as the frequency in the circuit which has in turn been dictated by the rotation frequency of the dynamo magnet source.
For more information on this model, please view the following video called electromagnetic induction at...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wPKIBTeQng
