Definition
A unit of electric current in the centimeter-gram-second (CGS) electromagnetic system, equal to ten amperes in the standard SI system used in aviation electrical work.
Plain English
An older scientific unit for measuring electric current. One abampere equals ten of the amperes pilots normally see on aircraft ammeters and circuit breakers.
Context Anchor
Seen mainly in older electrical theory references, technical tables, or maintenance-related study material, not in normal cockpit use.
Derivation
From the prefix 'ab-' (meaning 'absolute,' as used in the older CGS electromagnetic system) plus 'ampere,' named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère. The 'ab-' prefix marked units belonging to that older measurement system, distinguishing them from the modern ampere.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots will almost never use this unit operationally, but recognizing it prevents confusion when reading older technical material — and remembering that 1 abampere equals 10 amperes keeps the numbers straight.
Intuition Check
Do not read “abampere” as just another name for “ampere.” One abampere is larger: 1 abampere equals 10 amperes.
Example Sentence 1
An older avionics textbook listed a current value in abamperes, which the technician converted to amperes by multiplying by ten.
Example Sentence 2
When converting the reading, the technician multiplied the abampere value by ten to obtain amperes.