Ampere, or amp for short, is the unit of measure for electrical current in the International System of Units (SI) . It represents the flow of electrical charge through a conductor and is measured in amperes (A) . In the analogy of electricity as flowing water, amps would indicate the volume of water thats moving. Amps are used to determine the amount of current flowing through a circuit, and an ammeter is used to measure the electric current in amps. Amps are one of the three basic units in electricity, along with voltage and resistance.