Electric current

Electric current refers to the flow of electric charge, for example, electrons through a conductor, or ions in a plasma. Electric current creates a magnetic field, and a time-varying electric current generates an electromagnetic wave, as described by Maxwell's equations.

The SI unit for electric current is the ampere.

Electron flow

In practical circuit theory, current is considered as a flow of positive electric charge from nodes of higher electric potential to nodes of lower electric potential. However, the direction of electron flow in a current is from lower to higher electric potential, because the electron has a negative charge.