Current is a _____ quantity and its SI unit is _____.

The correct answer is Option (3) → scalar, ampere

Although a current flows in a definite direction along a wire, it is a scalar quantity: currents do not add by the law of vector addition. At a junction the currents simply add algebraically (Kirchhoff’s junction rule), whatever the angles between the wires. The direction attached to a current only tells which way the charge flows along the conductor.

Its SI unit is the ampere (A), one coulomb per second. The volt is the unit of potential difference and the watt the unit of power.

NCERT (2026-27):
Points to Ponder – “1. Current is a scalar although we represent current with an arrow. Currents do not obey the law of vector addition.”