Electric current electrons into the conduction band. The current-carrying electrons in the conduction band are known as "free electrons", though they are often simply called "electrons" if that is clear in context. Current density is a measure of the density of an electric current. It is defined as a vector whose magnitude is the electric current per cross-sectional area. In SI units, the current density is measured in amperes per square metre. where "formula_6" is current in the conductor, formula_7 is the current density, and formula_8 is the differential cross-sectional area vector. The current density (current per unit area) "formula_7" in materials
International System of Units derived quantities can be specified in terms of the SI base and derived units that have no named units in the SI system, such as acceleration, which is defined in SI units as m/s. The SI base units are the building blocks of the system and all the other units are derived from them. When Maxwell first introduced the concept of a coherent system, he identified three quantities that could be used as base units: mass, length and time. Giorgi later identified the need for an electrical base unit, for which the unit of electric current was chosen for SI.