Current and Power> During rush hour, road traffic really picks up. Lots of drivers hurry home at the same time. “Rush hour” for electricity happens when lots of electric charges are on the move. The number of charges that move by each second is the electric current, measured in <#5630,5141><!amperes>. Call them “amps” for short.
A tool called an <#5631,5136><!ammeter> measures the amount of current. It’s like standing by a road and counting how many cars pass you each second. In this case, the “cars” are electric charges.
Picture a dim night light and a powerful search light. Which one uses up power faster? The search light, of course. It’s uses more current to be bigger and brighter. The amount of electric power that a device uses is measured in watts.
Check out some light bulbs that aren’t in use. The watts are printed on the top of the bulb. A 150-watt bulb uses more power than a 60-watt bulb. It also draws more electric current. A bulb that uses twice as many watts draws twice as much current.
