Current what is it

Functionality varies by product, but digital multimeters can make a variety of measurements, including not only current, but also voltage and resistance.

When measuring electric current with a digital multimeter, you must set the instrument to its current function before making measurements. When measuring current, connect the negative terminal to the COM receptacle and the positive terminal to the A receptacle on the instrument so that the multimeter is in series with the circuit. Exercise caution not to apply a voltage while the current function is selected.

Doing so could damage the instrument by causing an overcurrent to flow through it. Some digital multimeters lack a current input terminal in order to avoid this hazard. Current refers to the flow of electricity in an electronic circuit, with larger figures indicating more electricity. Although current differs from voltage, both are important concepts, and it's necessary to understand each. Current can be measured using a digital multimeter.

Why not try measuring current based on the information introduced in this page? Americas English. What is Electric Current? What is electric current? The difference between voltage and current, different types of current, and methods for measuring current Overview We tap the power of electricity daily without giving it much thought.

The higher the voltage, the more current will flow; a lower voltage means a weaker current. DT CM Review of advantages and disadvantages. How to Measure Current Why is it necessary to measure current? There is often a lot of misunderstanding about conventional current flow and electron flow. This can be a little confusing at first but it is really quite straightforward. The particles that carry charge along conductors are free electrons.

The electric field direction within a circuit is by definition the direction that positive test charges are pushed. Thus, these negatively charged electrons move in the direction opposite the electric field. This came about because the initial investigations in static and dynamic electric currents was based upon what we would now call positive charge carriers.

This meant that then early convention for the direction of an electric current was established as the direction that positive charges would move. This convention has remained and it is still used today. This is the convention that is used globally to this day, even though it may seem a little odd and out-dated. The speed of the transmission of electrical current is very different to that of the speed of the actual electron movement.

The electron itself bounces around in the conductor, and possibly only makes progress along the conductor at the rate of a few millimetres a second. This means that in the case of alternating current, where the current changes direction 50 or 60 times per second, most of the electrons never make it out of the wire. To take a different example, in the near-vacuum inside a cathode ray tube, the electrons travel in near-straight lines at about a tenth of the speed of light.

When an electric current flows through a conductor there are a number of signs which tell that a current is flowing. One important aspect of current is knowing the amount of current that may be flowing in a conductor.

As electric current is such a key factor in electrical and electronic circuits, knowing what current is flowing is very important. Using a DMM, digital multimeter it is easy to measure current by placing the DMM actually in the circuit carrying the current. NLP programming automates the translation process between computers and humans by manipulating unstructured data words in the context of a specific task conversation.

View Full Term. By clicking sign up, you agree to receive emails from Techopedia and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Current is the flow of electrical charge carriers like electrons. Current flows from negative to positive points. The SI unit for measuring electric current is the ampere A. One ampere of current is defined as one coulomb of electrical charge moving past a unique point in a second. Electric current is widely used in household and industrial appliances.

There are two types of electric current, namely alternating and direct current. In alternating current, the flow of current reverses its direction periodically.

Alternating current in a circuit is represented by the sine wave. Direct current, unlike alternating current, flows in the same direction continuously.