Electric current is the flow of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is defined as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface. Electric current is measured in amperes (A), and the larger the value in amperes, the more electricity is flowing in the circuit. The intensity of the electric current is determined by the amount of charge passing through a conductor in a unit of time, and it is measured in coulombs per second (C/s), which is equivalent to one ampere (A) .
Electric current can be visualized as the flow of water in a river, where particles called electrons come together, and the number of electrons flowing each second is the current. In metallic solids, electric charge flows by means of electrons, from lower to higher electrical potential. In other media, any stream of charged objects (ions, for example) may constitute an electric current.
It is important to understand the difference between voltage and current. Voltage is the electric potential difference between two points in a circuit, while current refers to the flow of electricity in an electronic circuit, with larger figures indicating more electricity. Current can be measured using a digital multimeter.
