Electric current

Electric current describes the flow of electrical charge. More precisely, the size of the current is the rate of flow of charge: it tells us how much charge passes a point each second.

An ammeter measures electric current. Current describes the rate at which electric charge flows through a circuit. Its unit is the ampere, usually shortened to amp, and its unit symbol is A.

When charge flows through a circuit, we call that flow an electric current. Current tells us how quickly charge passes a point: more charge passing the point each second means a greater current. It is measured in amperes (A); one ampere means one coulomb of charge passes a point each second.

An electric current tells us how quickly charge passes a point: it is a rate of flow, not an amount of charge. One ampere (A) means that one coulomb (C) of charge passes a point each second.