What does electric current measure?
Electric current measures the rate of flow of electric charge in a circuit. It quantifies the quantity of charge passing through a given point in a conductor per unit of time. The SI unit for electric current is the ampere (A).
An electric current measures the rate of flow of electric charge in a conducting material. In simpler terms, it measures the amount of electric charge passing through a given point in a circuit per unit time. The unit typically used to measure electric current is the ampere (A).
Electric current measures the rate of flow of electric charge in a circuit. It is a measure of the quantity of electric charge passing through a point in a conductor per unit of time. The unit of electric current is called the ampere (A).
To measure electric current, you would typically use an instrument called an ammeter, which is connected in series with the circuit. The ammeter provides a measure of the current passing through it. It works by measuring the voltage drop across a known resistance. By Ohm's Law (V = IR), the voltage (V) across the resistance is directly proportional to the current (I). The ammeter then provides a reading of the current flowing through the circuit.
It is important to note that electric current is a scalar quantity, meaning it has magnitude but no direction. However, it is conventionally defined as the flow of positive charges, even though in reality, electrons are the actual charge carriers in most cases.