Current, in the context of electricity, refers to the flow of electric charge through a conductor. It is typically measured in units of amperes (A).
Electric current is the rate of flow of electric charge past a point in a circuit over time. It is analogous to the flow of water in a pipe: the amount of water flowing through the pipe per unit of time represents the flow rate, just as the amount of electric charge flowing through a conductor per unit of time represents electric current.
Mathematically, current (I) can be expressed using Ohm's law:
Where:
- is the current in amperes (A),
- is the voltage in volts (V),
- is the resistance in ohms (Ω).
In simple terms, current describes how much electric charge is flowing through a circuit per unit of time. It is a fundamental quantity in electricity and is essential for understanding and analyzing electrical circuits and devices.