What is current?

What is current?

• A. The rate of flow of electric charge
• B. The amount of charge stored
• C. The energy per unit charge
• D. The resistance of a circuit

Answer: (A)

Current is the rate at which electric charge flows past a point in a circuit. If 3 coulombs pass a given point every second, the current is 3 amperes (one ampere equals one coulomb per second). This distinguishes current from the total amount of charge stored in a component, which can be large even when no charge is moving. Voltage is energy per unit charge, while current tells you how much charge moves per second. In a circuit, current is driven by a potential difference, and it relates to resistance via Ohm’s law (current = voltage divided by resistance).

Current is the rate at which electric charge flows past a point in a circuit. If 3 coulombs pass a given point every second, the current is 3 amperes (one ampere equals one coulomb per second). This distinguishes current from the total amount of charge stored in a component, which can be large even when no charge is moving. Voltage is energy per unit charge, while current tells you how much charge moves per second. In a circuit, current is driven by a potential difference, and it relates to resistance via Ohm’s law (current = voltage divided by resistance).