The metric unit of measure for electric current is the ampere, commonly abbreviated as "amp." One ampere is defined as one coulomb of electric charge flowing past a specific point in a circuit per second. The ampere is a fundamental unit in the International System of Units (SI) and is crucial for understanding and calculating electric systems, from household appliances to industrial machinery. Understanding electric current is essential for fields such as electrical engineering, electronics, and physics, as it directly relates to the flow of electricity in circuits.