Abcoulomb Unit | All you need to know

What is an Abcoulomb? The Obsolete Unit of Electric Charge

An abcoulomb (abC) is a unit of electric charge in the now-obsolete CGS (centimeter-gram-second) system of units, specifically the electromagnetic (EMU) variant. The abcoulomb is part of a historical system of measurement that has largely been replaced by the modern SI (International System of Units), where the coulomb (C) is the standard unit of charge.

While not used in most modern scientific or engineering work, understanding the abcoulomb provides a glimpse into the history of electrical science and can be useful when working with older texts or legacy equipment.

The Relationship Between Abcoulomb and Coulomb

The abcoulomb is a much larger unit of charge than the coulomb. Its definition is based on the electromagnetic force between two current-carrying wires. One abcoulomb is defined as the charge transferred in one second by a current of one abampere.

The key conversion between the two systems is that one abampere is exactly equal to ten amperes. Because one coulomb is one ampere-second, and one abcoulomb is one abampere-second, this gives us the direct conversion factor:

1 abC = 10 C

This simple, clean conversion makes it easy to translate values between the old CGS-EMU system and the modern SI system.

Abcoulomb Conversion Table

On changeunit.com, we provide tools to help you convert between abcoulombs and all other modern and historical units of electric charge. Here is a helpful reference table showing the relationship between abC and other common charge units:

While the abcoulomb may be a relic of the past, understanding its place in the history of science is important. It highlights how different unit systems were developed and how they relate to one another. Whether you're a historian of science or working with legacy equipment, our conversion tools on changeunit.com can help you make sense of this and other units. 🕰️⚡️