What does the amperage measure in an electrical circuit?

Amperage, also known as current, measures the flow of electric charge in an electrical circuit. It indicates how many electrons are flowing through a conductor, such as a wire, in a given amount of time. In basic terms, amperage quantifies the volume of electricity that is moving through the circuit, akin to measuring the flow of water in a pipe.

In contrast, voltage refers to the electrical potential difference that drives the flow of current, while power is the rate at which electrical energy is consumed or produced and is a function of both voltage and current. Resistance, on the other hand, is a measure of how much a substance opposes the flow of electric current. Thus, while voltage, power, and resistance are important concepts in understanding electric circuits, they are distinct from what amperage directly measures.