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.
* Coulomb (C): The SI unit of electric charge.
Calculations
1. Relate current to charge: One ampere is equal to one coulomb of charge flowing per second (1 A = 1 C/s).
2. Calculate total charge: With a current of 3 amperes, 3 coulombs of charge flow past the point in one second.
3. Calculate the number of electrons:
* Divide the total charge by the charge of a single electron:
* Number of electrons = (Total charge) / (Charge of one electron)
* Number of electrons = 3 C / (1.602 x 10⁻¹⁹ C/electron)
* Number of electrons ≈ 1.87 x 10¹⁹ electrons
Therefore, approximately 1.87 x 10¹⁹ electrons will flow past a given point in one second if there are three amperes of current.
