the.com/ammeter
A device that measures current by standing directly in its way.
means An instrument that measures electric current, usually by being wired directly into the circuit so the current flows through it.
from A straightforward 19th-century blend: 'amp' (short for ampere, the unit of current named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère) plus the familiar measuring suffix '-meter,' from Greek 'metron,' meaning measure. No hidden story here — just electrical science naming its tools plainly as the field grew in the 1800s.
- connection rule
- Wired in series, never in parallel
- internal resistance
- Ideally zero, so it barely intrudes
- wrong wiring
- Parallel hookup can blow the fuse instantly
- named after
- Andre-Marie Ampere, current's namesake