ampere

or am·père

[ am-peer, am-peer ]
/ ˈæm pɪər, æmˈpɪər /

noun Electricity.

the basic unit of electrical current in the International System of Units(SI), equivalent to one coulomb per second, formally defined to be the constant current which if maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross section, and placed one meter apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal to 2 × 10−7 newton per meter of length. Abbreviation: A, amp.

Origin of ampere

First recorded in 1881; named after A. M. Ampère

Definition for ampere (2 of 2)

Ampère
[ am-peer; French ahn-per ]
/ ˈæm pɪər; French ɑ̃ˈpɛr /

noun

An·dré Ma·rie [ahn-drey muh-ree; French ahn-drey ma-ree] /ˈɑn dreɪ məˈri; French ɑ̃ˈdreɪ maˈri/,1775–1836, French physicist.

OTHER WORDS FROM Ampère

Am·per·i·an [am-peer-ee-uh n, -per-] /æmˈpɪər i ən, -ˈpɛr-/, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for ampere

British Dictionary definitions for ampere (1 of 2)

ampere
/ (ˈæmpɛə) /

noun

the basic SI unit of electric current; the constant current that, when maintained in two parallel conductors of infinite length and negligible cross section placed 1 metre apart in free space, produces a force of 2 × 10 –7 newton per metre between them. 1 ampere is equivalent to 1 coulomb per second
a former unit of electric current (international ampere); the current that, when passed through a solution of silver nitrate, deposits silver at the rate of 0.001118 gram per second. 1 international ampere equals 0.999835 ampere
Abbreviation: ampSymbol: A

Word Origin for ampere

C19: named after André Marie Ampère

British Dictionary definitions for ampere (2 of 2)

Ampère
/ (ˈæmpɛə, French ɑ̃pɛr) /

noun

André Marie (ɑ̃dre mari). 1775–1836, French physicist and mathematician, who made major discoveries in the fields of magnetism and electricity

Medical definitions for ampere

ampere
[ ămpîr′ ]

n.

A unit of electric current in the meter-kilogram-second system, equal to the current that, flowing in two parallel wires one meter apart, produces a force of 2 X 10-7 newtons per meter.
A unit in the International System specified as one International coulomb per second and equal to 0.999835 ampere.

Scientific definitions for ampere (1 of 2)

ampere
[ ămpîr′ ]

The SI unit used to measure electric current. Electric current through any given cross-section (such as a cross-section of a wire) may be measured as the amount of electrical charge moving through that cross-section in one second. One ampere is equal to a flow of one coulomb per second, or a flow of 6.28 X 1018 electrons per second.

Scientific definitions for ampere (2 of 2)

Ampère
[ ămpîr′, äm-pĕr ]
André Marie 1775-1836

French mathematician and physicist who is best known for his analysis of the relationship between magnetic force and electric current. He formulated Ampère's law, which describes the strength of the magnetic field produced by the flow of energy through a conductor. The ampere unit of electric current is named for him.