Understanding the Concepts
* Current (I): The rate of flow of electric charge. Measured in amperes (A).
* Charge of an electron (e): The fundamental unit of electric charge, approximately 1.602 x 10⁻¹⁹ coulombs (C).
* Coulomb (C): The unit of electric charge. One coulomb is equal to the charge of approximately 6.24 x 10¹⁸ electrons.
Calculation
1. Relationship between current and charge: Current (I) is defined as the charge (Q) flowing per unit time (t):
I = Q/t
2. Finding the charge: We want to know the charge flowing in one second (t = 1 s). Since we have a current of 1 amp (I = 1 A), we can rearrange the equation to find the charge:
Q = I * t = 1 A * 1 s = 1 C
3. Number of electrons: We know that one coulomb is equal to the charge of approximately 6.24 x 10¹⁸ electrons. Therefore, the number of electrons flowing past the point in one second is:
Number of electrons = Q/e = 1 C / (1.602 x 10⁻¹⁹ C/electron) ≈ 6.24 x 10¹⁸ electrons
Answer: Approximately 6.24 x 10¹⁸ electrons flow past a point in a wire each second if the wire has a current of 1 amp.
