How Do You Measure Current And Voltage

Figure 3 measuring voltage with digital multimeter.

How do you measure current and voltage. The multimeter will show the voltage across the circuit. Now you should understand the concepts of voltage current resistance and how the three are related. Measuring current and voltage. Each has advantages and disadvantages depending upon the type of measurement being taken.

With direct current it s easy to determine the voltage that s present between two points in an electronic circuit. The majority of equations and laws for analyzing circuits can be derived directly from ohm s law. How to measure current using multimeter. Current is a measure of how much electric charge flows through a circuit.

Check what the regular voltage of the electronic device is it is usually indicated either in the user manual or somewhere on the battery or appliance itself. Set the range to one level above the voltage you plan to measure so if you are measuring a 12v battery turn the dial to 20v to get an accurate reading. Voltage is an electrical potential or electrical pressure property so to measure the voltage across any components you do not want to disconnect the components from the circuit. The most commonly used piece of equipment for electrical measurements is the multimeter which is capable of measuring current amps voltage volts and resistance ohms there are two basic type of multimeter analogue and digital.

The more charge that flows the bigger the current. The symbol for ampere is a. For example the voltage across this circuit is 6 84v. Refer the diagram i want to measure the voltage across the resistance r then i have to connect the voltmeter across resistor the point a and b.

That s because the voltage in an alternating current circuit is constantly changing. You need to know how to measure the current that flows through a component in a circuit and the voltage across it. You simply measure the voltage with a voltmeter. By measuring the voltage across the resistor the current can easily be calculated.

If you reverse the connections a digital multimeter with auto polarity will merely display a minus sign indicating negative polarity. With an analog meter you risk damaging the meter. Current is measured in amperes. Go back to digital multimeter measurements 3.

Image showing connection of probes in multimeter for measuring current. Current can be measured in the range ofmilliamperes. By knowing this simple law you understand the concept that is the basis for the analysis of any electrical circuit. Multimeter has different procedure for measuring current.