Electric current is the flow of electrons, powered by the electromagnetic force. Alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) are the two main types of electron flow used to power electronic devices. Amps are the standard unit of measure for electron flow.
A stream of electrons is an electric current, the same thing that powers devices like cell phones, lights, and computers. Electrons are the negatively charged particles that exist within atoms. The electromagnetic force is responsible for the flow of electrons and is one of the four fundamental forces identified by physicists. Alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) are the two main types of electron flow that exist and power electronic devices. The current in an electrical circuit is measured in amperes, often abbreviated to amperes, and can be divided into milliamperes.
Most people in the modern world make use of the flow of electrons every day. Any electric current used to power a multitude of devices that people rely on is the result of electrons moving from place to place. The electrons orbit the nucleus of each atom like planets around a star and have a negative charge. Electric currents send electrons from a negative source around a circuit to reach a positive terminal. Metals are especially good at conducting electric current because their solid structure allows for a free flow of electrons through them.
Electromagnetism is the force that causes electrons to flow, and is the marriage of electricity and magnetism. That’s because they’re really the exact same force, which causes particles of opposite charges to be attracted to each other and those with matching charges to repel from each other. The same force that causes the north end of one magnet to attract the south end of another magnet causes electricity. The two poles have opposite electromagnetic charges, which are grouped together electrons and protons. The force that unites the two opposite ends is the electromagnetic force.
Two main types of electron flow are used to power most electrical devices. The first type is DC, which is an electron baseline where charge moves in one direction. Batteries provide this type of current, in which electrons move from the positive to the negative pole. The opposite, AC, is when electrons flow from negative to positive and positive to negative. The power outlets in most homes use alternating current.
Amps (or amps) are the standard unit of measure for electron flow. A single amp is the equivalent of one coulomb per second, where a coulomb is a measure of electric charge flow. Most devices use amps to indicate how much electricity is required to operate, but others require smaller forms of measurement. A milliampere is a smallest unit of measurement that can be used on low current devices, equivalent to one-thousandth of an amplifier.
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