What is current?

• A. The flow of negative electrical charge, amps.
• B. The flow of positive electrical charge, amps.
• C. The rate of charge, ohms.
• D. The force that drives current, watts.

Answer: (B)

Current is the rate at which electric charge passes a point in a circuit, and it’s measured in amperes. We use the convention that current is the flow of positive charges, so the direction is defined as if positive charges move through the circuit. In metal conductors the actual charge carriers are electrons (negative charges) that move opposite to this direction, but the conventional current direction stays the same to keep analysis consistent. One ampere equals one coulomb per second, so current tells you how much charge flows each second. The other descriptions mix up concepts: flow of negative charge refers to electron movement rather than the conventional current direction; resistance is the property that opposes current and is measured in ohms; power is measured in watts and describes energy transfer, not the flow itself.