A measurement of electrical current in a circuit, commonly called an "amp." Contrast with "volts," which is a measure of force, or pressure, behind the current. Multiplying amps times volts derives "watts," the total measurement of power. In electrical equations such as Ohm's Law, the symbol for ampere is "I" (see
ohm).
One ampere is 6,280,000,000,000,000,000 (6.28 x 10
18) electrons passing by the point of measurement in one second. See
ampere-hour,
volt and
watt.