Symbol, emu. The units in this system are formed in a manner similar to that of the cgs electrostatic system of units: the unit of electric current was defined using the law that describes the force between current-carrying wires. To do this, the permeability of free space (the magnetic constant, relating the magnetic flux density in a vacuum to the strength of the external magnetic field), was set at 1.
To distinguish cgs electromagnetic units from units in the international system, they were sometimes given the prefix “ab-”.
abampere | current |
abcoulomb | electric charge |
abfarad | capacitance |
abhenry | inductance |
abmho | electric conductance |
abohm | electric resistance |
abvolt | electric potential difference, electromotive force |
gauss | magnetic flux density |
gilbert | magnetic potential difference, magnetomotive force |
maxwell | magnetic flux |
oersted | magnetic field strength |
stilb | illuminance |
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Last revised: 8 March 2008.