What is an ABCoulomb? Definition and Explanation

An ABCoulomb (or Ampere-Bouguer-Coulomb) is a unit of electric charge that is used in geophysics and electromagnetism. It is defined as the amount of electric charge required to create a magnetic field of 1 gauss (a unit of magnetic field strength) at a distance of 1 meter from the charge.

The ABCoulomb is named after the French physicists André-Marie Ampère, Jean-Baptiste Bouguer, and Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, who made significant contributions to the understanding of electricity and magnetism in the 18th and 19th centuries.

One ABCoulomb is equal to 10^-9 coulombs (C), which is a more commonly used unit of electric charge. The ABCoulomb is often used in geophysics because it is a convenient unit for expressing the strength of magnetic fields in the Earth's crust, where the magnetic field is typically much weaker than in other environments.