Electric Current

Summary

Key Points

• Current generally means movement in a particular direction, so electric current is the movement of electric charge in a specific direction. 0:26
• More formally, electric current is defined as the movement or transfer of electric charge through a given area. 0:37
• Instantaneous current is defined as a small amount of charge passing through an area in a small amount of time, while constant current is the time rate of change of charge. 1:40
• In electric circuits, electric charge is typically carried by electrons, though ions can also carry charge in some cases like plasma, but not atoms. 2:34
• One Ampere is defined as one Coulomb of charge passing through one square meter area in one second. 3:42
• To achieve one Ampere of current, approximately 6.24 x 10^18 electrons must cross a one square meter area in one second. 4:13
• The SI unit of electric current is the Ampere, represented by a capital 'A', and is named after the French physicist André-Marie Ampère. 4:26
• Different types of current include direct current (constant value), sinusoidal current (alternating), exponential current (rising exponentially), and damped sinusoidal current (decreasing amplitude over time). 5:02