In every electrochemical process, whether spontaneous or not, a certain amount of electric charge is transferred during the oxidation and reduction. The half-reactions we have written for electrode processes include the electrons which carry that charge. It is possible to measure the rate at which the charge is transferred with a device called an ammeter.

) (amps, for short). Unlike a voltmeter, ammeters allow electrons to pass and essentially "clock" them as they go by. The amount of electric charge which has passed through the circuit can then be calculated by a simple relationship:

This enables us to connect reaction stoichiometry to electrical measurements. The principles underlying these relationships were worked out in the first half of the 19^th century by the English scientist, Michael Faraday.