0
The history of electrical study is a long an varied one. Because of this, many conventions used when describing electrical phenomena seem archaic or just plain weird. This particular oddity, using the letter 'I' to represent an electric current is courtesy of Georg Ohm [1] the father of the famous 'Ohm's Law'.
Ohm was describing the relationship between resistance, voltage and the Intensity of the electric current [2]. We get the I from intensity.
In retrospect, this is ironically fortunate because it saved us from having to later, choose an 'odd' letter to represent Capacitance.
[1] Wikipedia: Georg Ohm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Ohm
[2] IEEE History Center: FAQs
http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/history_center/bitsbytes/faqs.html The origin of "I" is "intensite", the French word for "current", as Ampere was French.
What else can I help you with?
What letter is used to abbreviate electric current?
Electrical current is measured in Amperes which is abbreviated to amps. When dealing with formulae the letter I is used to represent current, for example: Power = Voltage × Current = volts × amps = V × I Small currents in electrical engineering use the lower case i; this can cause confusion with the lower case i that mathematicians use for √-1, so they use j for √-1 instead.
Why is the symbol of current is you instead of C?
The symbol for electric current is "I" because it stands for intensity, which is an older term used for electric current. The letter "C" is typically used to represent charge in electrical equations, so using "I" for current helps differentiate between the two.
What is the term used to identify the current situation?
The term commonly used to identify the current situation is "the present moment" or "the current state of affairs."
What letter is used for current?
The uppercase letter "I" is used for DC current, or for the average current; the lowercase letter "i" is used for instantaneous current.
Direct electric current cannot be used to operate A. Electric motors B. Electric heaters C. Electromagnets D. Transformers?
Direct electric current cannot be used to operate D. Transformers.
What letter is used to represent electric currents in equations?
The letter "I" is typically used to represent electric currents in equations.
What type of electric current is used in household?
Alternating electrical current is usually used in household.
What letter used in equations to represent voltage?
In equations, voltage is commonly represented by the letter "V." It stands for electric potential difference and is measured in volts (V). This notation is widely used in electrical engineering and physics to describe the force that drives electric current through a circuit.
Why do you use ' I ' to represent current?
'I' represent current in electrical circuits because it stands for intensity, which is another term for electric current. The symbol 'I' was derived from the French word for current, "intensité." Hence, the letter 'I' has been traditionally used in formulas and equations to represent electric current.
What does electric current do?
Electric current is the flow of electric charge through a conductor. It produces various effects such as heating, lighting, and magnetism. In electronics, current is used to power devices and transmit signals.
Volt ohm ampere and watts are terms associated with what?
ohm is used to measure resistance of electric current. Ampere is used to measure electric current. volt is used to measure voltage.
What volts ohm ampere and watts are terms associated with this?
ohm is used to measure resistance of electric current. Ampere is used to measure electric current. volt is used to measure voltage.
