Electric current
![A simple electric circuit, where current is represented by the letter i. The relationship between the voltage (V), resistance (R), and current (I) is V=IR; this is known as Ohm's Law.](/Images/godic/202501/10/Ohm's_Law_with_Voltage_source_TeX.svg0735.png")
![The electrons, the charge carriers in an electrical circuit, flow in the opposite direction of the conventional electric current.](/Images/godic/202501/10/Current_notation.svg0735.png")
![The symbol for a battery in a circuit diagram.](/Images/godic/202501/10/Battery_symbol2.svg0735.png")
![According to Ampère's law, an electric current produces a magnetic field.](/Images/godic/202501/10/Electromagnetism.svg0735.png")
An electric current is a flow of electric charge. In electric circuits this charge is often carried by moving electrons in a wire. It can also be carried by ions in an electrolyte, or by both ions and electrons such as in a plasma.
The SI unit for measuring an electric current is the ampere, which is the flow of electric charge across a surface at the rate of one coulomb per second. Electric current is measured using a device called an ammeter.