Voltmeter
device · 1882 · Electric age
Measures the voltage between two points of a circuit; it is connected in parallel.
What it is made of
- Resistor — has part. The series resistor gives the voltmeter a high resistance so it barely draws current from the circuit.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Galvanometer — evolved from. A voltmeter is a galvanometer with a large series resistor: a tiny current, proportional to the voltage, flows through it.
- Multimeter — evolved into. A multimeter combines a voltmeter, an ammeter and an ohmmeter in one case with a selector switch.
Things built in a similar way
- Ammeter — works like. They are built alike, but an ammeter goes in series with the circuit and a voltmeter in parallel.