abampere
n. countablen. a unit used to measure electric current in a specific scientific system. One abampere is equal to ten regular amperes.
n. the electromagnetic unit of electric current in the centimetre-gram-second (CGS) system. Equivalent to ten amperes in the International System of Units.
The scientist measures the current in abamperes.
In older physics textbooks, you might find calculations using the abampere instead of the modern ampere.
While the ampere is the standard unit for current today, the abampere remains a historical reference point in the study of electromagnetic units within the CGS system.
From ab- (“absolute”) + ampere.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Primarily used in historical scientific contexts or specific theoretical physics calculations involving the CGS system.
Last updated May 2, 2026