Electrify Your Future: IGCSE Physics 2026 Electricity Test – Amp Up Your Skills!

To measure current you need a device that allows the same current to flow through it as in the circuit, so it is placed in series and has very low resistance. An ammeter is designed for this: you insert it in the circuit path, and the current passes through it. Because it presents little resistance, it doesn’t significantly affect the current you’re measuring. A voltmeter is used to measure voltage and is connected in parallel with a component, not in the path of the current. An ohmmeter measures resistance by applying a voltage and observing the current, typically when the circuit or component is isolated. A multimeter can measure current when set to the current mode, but the instrument dedicated to measuring current is the ammeter.