ESU of current to EMU of current
ESU
EMU
Conversion History
| Conversion | Reuse | Delete |
|---|---|---|
1 ESU (ESU of current) → 0.00000000003335641 EMU (EMU of current) Just now · Rounding: Up to 8 significant figures | Recalculate this conversion using your current rounding settings. |
Quick Reference Table (ESU of current to EMU of current)
| ESU of current (ESU) | EMU of current (EMU) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.00000000003335641 |
| 10 | 0.0000000003335641 |
| 100 | 0.000000003335641 |
| 1,000,000 | 0.00003335641 |
| 1,000,000,000 | 0.03335641 |
| 3,000,000,000 | 0.10006923 |
Results rounded to a maximum of 8 significant figures
About ESU of current (ESU)
The electrostatic unit of current (ESU, also called the statampere) equals approximately 3.335640952×10⁻¹⁰ amperes under the traditional CGS-to-SI mapping used by this converter. It is the current unit of the CGS electrostatic system (CGS-ESU), in which Coulomb's law is written without a permittivity constant and electric charge is measured in statcoulombs (franklins). One statampere is the flow of one statcoulomb per second. The traditional mapping is 1 A = (c/10) statamperes, using the numerical speed of light c = 29,979,245,800 in cm/s, so 1 A maps to 2,997,924,580 statamperes. This is a conventional mapping, not a claim of an exact physical conversion to the post-2019 SI. The CGS-ESU system was used in early electrostatics and vacuum tube physics but is obsolete in applied engineering.
1 ESU of current ≈ 3.336×10⁻¹⁰ A — an extraordinarily small current. One ordinary ampere equals approximately 3×10⁹ ESU.
About EMU of current (EMU)
The electromagnetic unit (EMU) of current is exactly identical to the biot within the CGS electromagnetic (CGS-EMU) system. Under the traditional pre-2019 CGS-to-SI mapping retained by this converter, one EMU of current corresponds to 10 amperes; that relationship is conventional rather than an exact physical conversion to the post-2019 SI. CGS-EMU dominated electrical physics from the mid-19th century until SI adoption in 1960. In CGS-EMU, the permeability of free space is defined as 1, giving the electromagnetic subsystem its characteristic form where magnetic force between parallel currents is expressed purely in dynes. The EMU of current appears in classical electrodynamics texts, historical measurement standards, and theoretical physics work using CGS-EMU conventions. All practical electrical measurement now uses SI amperes.
Under the traditional mapping used here, 1 EMU of current corresponds to 10 A. A 50 A arc welding process corresponds to 5 EMU. The unit is encountered primarily in pre-1960 scientific literature.
ESU of current – Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the ESU of current so absurdly small compared to an ampere?
The ESU system was designed to make Coulomb's electrostatic law simple (no constants), which means its charge unit (the statcoulomb) is tiny relative to the coulomb. Since current is charge per time, the statampere inherits that smallness. Under the traditional mapping used here, one ampere maps to 2,997,924,580 statamperes — the numerical speed of light in cm/s divided by 10. In the reverse direction, multiply the statampere value by 10/c, or divide by 2,997,924,580, to obtain amperes.
What is a statampere and is it the same as an ESU of current?
Yes. Statampere, ESU of current, CGS electrostatic current, franklin per second and Gaussian current share the same current scale. This converter uses the same traditional mapping for all five names: 1 A maps to 2,997,924,580 statamperes. "Statampere" is the named form; "ESU of current" is the descriptive form. The "stat-" prefix comes from "electrostatic," just as the "ab-" prefix in the EMU system comes from "absolute."
Did the 2019 SI redefinition change the statampere?
No. The statampere remains one statcoulomb per second in the CGS system. What changed was the SI ampere: in 2019 it was redefined by fixing the elementary charge, replacing its earlier force-based definition. Vacuum permeability and permittivity are consequently no longer exact SI constants, so physical conversions between CGS electrical units and modern SI involve measured values and uncertainty. This converter retains the pre-2019 mapping of 1 A to 2,997,924,580 statamperes for consistent reference conversions; it does not apply modern measured corrections.
What role did the ESU system play in the discovery that light is electromagnetic?
When Weber and Kohlrausch measured the ratio of ESU to EMU charge in 1856, they got a number suspiciously close to the speed of light — about 3×10¹⁰ cm/s. Maxwell realized this was no coincidence: it meant electromagnetic disturbances propagate at light speed, proving light itself is an electromagnetic wave. A unit conversion exercise led to one of the greatest discoveries in physics.
What practical problem did the ESU system solve for 19th-century telegraph engineers?
Telegraph cables behaved like long capacitors — charge stored along the line distorted signals over transatlantic distances. The ESU system, built around Coulomb's law, made capacitance calculations straightforward: no permittivity constants, just geometry and charge. William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) used ESU-based analysis to diagnose and fix signal distortion on the first transatlantic telegraph cables in the 1860s.
Why were electrostatic and electromagnetic measurements historically done in separate labs?
Electrostatic experiments (rubbing rods, Leyden jars, spark gaps) involved high voltages and tiny charges, while electromagnetic work (coils, galvanometers, telegraph lines) involved low voltages and large currents. The equipment, techniques, and even the physicists were different. Each community built units natural to their measurements — ESU for electrostatics, EMU for electromagnetics — and it took decades after Maxwell to unify them into one coherent SI framework.
EMU of current – Frequently Asked Questions
What does EMU stand for and why was it created?
EMU stands for "electromagnetic unit." In the 1860s–1870s, physicists needed separate unit systems for electrostatic and electromagnetic phenomena because they had not yet unified them. The EMU system was built around magnetic force between currents, while the ESU system was built around Coulomb's electrostatic force. The ratio between them turned out to be the speed of light — a clue that led to Maxwell's equations.
Is the EMU of current the same as a biot?
Yes, exactly: the biot and EMU of current are two names for the same CGS-EMU unit. Under the traditional mapping used here, that unit corresponds to 10 amperes. The exact identity is between the two CGS names, not between the CGS unit and the post-2019 SI ampere. The CGS-EMU system also has named units for other quantities: the gauss (magnetic field), the oersted (magnetising field), and the maxwell (magnetic flux).
Why did physics abandon the EMU system?
The EMU system was awkward for practical electrical engineering — 1 EMU of resistance (the abohm) equals 10⁻⁹ ohms, making everyday values absurdly large numbers. The SI system, adopted in 1960, unified mechanical and electrical units into one coherent framework with human-scale values. Practicality won over tradition.
Where might I encounter EMU of current in old scientific papers?
Pre-1960 physics journals, particularly in geomagnetism, plasma physics, and early electrical standards work, routinely use EMU. Geophysicists measuring Earth's magnetic field historically reported results in CGS-EMU units (gauss, oersted, EMU). Some geophysics reference data still has not been converted to SI.
How did the speed of light connect the EMU and ESU systems?
Weber and Kohlrausch discovered in 1856 that the ratio of the ESU to EMU charge was approximately 3×10¹⁰ cm/s — the speed of light. This was no coincidence: Maxwell showed that light is an electromagnetic wave, and the unit ratio reflects the fundamental coupling between electric and magnetic fields. One of the greatest insights in physics history, hidden in a unit conversion.