Average current is the net charge crossing a chosen section during a time interval, divided by that interval.
Difficulty
Beginner
Read time
5 min
Prerequisites
Basic algebra and consistent SI units
Source
OpenStax, College Physics 2e, §20.1 (Paul Peter Urone and Roger Hinrichs)Textbook reference retained from the OpenFormulaGraph dataset; adaptation credits and license are provided below.
Adapted from OpenFormulaGraph, under CC BY 4.0.
FormuLab adapted the notation, explanations, assumptions, and topic placement, and expanded the numerical check into a worked example.
Average current is the net charge crossing a chosen section during a time interval, divided by that interval. Its sign follows the chosen conventional-current direction, which is opposite to electron motion in a metal.
| Symbol | Meaning | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Average conventional current | ||
| Net charge crossing the section | ||
| Elapsed time |
Relate transported charge to a measurement interval.
Interpret an average current reading.
A net charge of +6.00 C crosses a wire section in the chosen positive direction during 3.00 s. Find the average current.
Textbook reference retained from the OpenFormulaGraph dataset; adaptation credits and license are provided below.
Adapted from OpenFormulaGraph, under CC BY 4.0.
FormuLab adapted the notation, explanations, assumptions, and topic placement, and expanded the numerical check into a worked example.
Assumptions
FormuLab is a study reference. Verify formulas, units, assumptions, and course-specific conventions before relying on them.
© 2026 FormuLab. All rights reserved.