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Basic Voltmeter Use
12 questions By Tony R. Kuphaldt
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Question 1 of 12
What will this voltmeter register when connected to a battery as shown (assume a battery voltage of 6 volts)? Explain your answer.
Reveal answerI could simply give you the answer, but this problem is so easy to simulate in real life that I’d rather let you try it yourself!
Follow-up question: what does this tell you about the nature of voltage, and how it is measured?
Notes:This question affords an excellent opportunity to discuss another foundational concept of electricity: that voltage is always measured between two points.
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Question 2 of 12
What will this voltmeter register when connected to a battery as shown (assume a battery voltage of 6 volts)? Explain your answer.
Reveal answerThe voltmeter will register -6 volts.
What do you suppose will happen if the voltmeter is of the analog style (with a moving “needle” rather than a numerical display)?
Notes:Ask the students how an analog (moving pointer) style of voltmeter would respond in this situation. This question lends itself very well to simple experimentation in the classroom, even during discussion time.
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Question 3 of 12
If we were to connect a voltmeter directly to an ohmmeter, what would you expect to see the ohmmeter register, for resistance between its test leads?
Reveal answerThe ohmmeter should register a very high resistance.
Notes:Ask your students why a voltmeter should have a very high resistance (many thousands or millions of ohms) between its test leads. How does this property of all voltmeters relate to how they are used to measured current in real circuits?
