Ampere to Megaampere Converter

An ampere (A) is the SI base unit of electric current, defined as the flow of one coulomb of electric charge per second. It represents the fundamental measure of electrical current flow in a conductor.

The ampere was named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère in 1881. Originally defined in terms of the force between current-carrying conductors, it was redefined in 2019 based on the elementary charge, providing a more fundamental and precise definition tied to quantum mechanics.

Amperes are universally used for measuring electrical current in all applications, from household electronics to industrial systems. They're essential for electrical safety, circuit design, power calculations, and are found on every electrical device rating, fuse, and circuit breaker.

A megaampere (MA) is a unit of electric current equal to one million amperes. It represents an extremely large current flow, typically encountered only in specialized industrial applications or theoretical calculations.

The megaampere emerged as a practical unit with the development of large-scale industrial electrical systems in the 20th century. It became necessary for describing currents in aluminum smelting, large-scale electrochemical processes, and high-power electrical transmission systems where currents reach hundreds of thousands of amperes.

Megaamperes are used in aluminum and steel production, large-scale electrochemical manufacturing, high-power electrical transmission systems, and plasma physics research. They're essential for describing currents in industrial electrolysis, arc furnaces, and some experimental fusion reactors.