Electric Current and Series Circuits Summary

Electric Current Fundamentals

  • Electric current is defined as the flow of electrons around a circuit.

  • Electrons carry energy from the cell to components, such as a lamp, where it is transferred into light and thermal energy.

  • Direction of Flow:   * Electron flow: Occurs from the negative end of the cell to the positive end.   * Conventional current: Represented as flowing from the positive end to the negative end, based on historical scientific convention.

Series Circuits

  • A series circuit is defined as a circuit with no branches, containing only one path for the current to follow.

  • Current Conservation: Current is never used up; in a series circuit, it remains the same at any point measured.

Units and Measurement

  • The unit for electrical current is the ampere (AA), often shortened to the "amp."

  • An ammeter is the instrument used to measure current within a circuit.

  • In the provided example, the current was measured at multiple points as consistently being 0.1 A0.1\,A.