Contents
Key Stage 3
Meaning
A picture showing an analogue ammeter.
An ammeter is a measuring device used to measure electrical current.
About Ammeters
- Ammeters are added in series to a circuit to find the current flowing through the circuit.
- An ideal ammeter has zero resistance because otherwise adding an ammeter to a circuit would change the current.
- Ammeters can be analogue with a needle pointing to numbers on a dial or it can be digital with a number display.
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| An ammeter placed in series with a bulb. |
Key Stage 4
Meaning
An ammeter is a measuring device used to measure electrical current.
About Ammeters
- Ammeters are added in series to a circuit to find the current flowing through the circuit.
- An ideal ammeter has zero resistance because otherwise adding an ammeter to a circuit would change the current.
- Ammeters can be analogue with a needle pointing to numbers on a dial or it can be digital with a number display.
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| To measure the current through bulb 1 the ammeter can be placed anywhere in this series circuit. | To measure the current through bulb 2 the ammeter can be placed anywhere in this series circuit. |
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| To measure the current through bulb 1 the ammeter must be placed in series with bulb 1. | To measure the current through bulb 2 the ammeter must be placed in series with bulb 2. |
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