What is electric current?
Answer
Electric current is the rate of flow of electric charge through a conductor, given by current = charge ÷ time, with SI unit ampere (A).
The working
Definition
Electric current is the amount of electric charge that flows across a cross-section of a conductor per unit time.
Formula
Current (I) = charge (Q) ÷ time (t). If one coulomb of charge flows in one second, the current is one ampere.
Direction
By convention, the direction of current is taken as the direction of flow of positive charge, opposite to the actual flow of electrons.
Unit
The SI unit is the ampere (A), and current is a scalar quantity measured using an ammeter connected in series.
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