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HowtoUseaMultimeter
Notsurewhatamultimeterisorwhatyoucandowithone?Thenyou'reintherightplace!Belowisanoverviewofwhat
multimetersareandwhattheyareusefulfor.Tolearnhowtouseamultimeter(#usingamultimeter),tofindmultimeterusageideas
(#multimeterf un),ortofindlabeledphotographsofassortedmultimetermodels (#multimetergallery ),clickontheothertabs(above)in

thismultimetertutorial.

Thissectionincludesanswerstothefollowingquestions:

Whatisamultimeter?(#qmultimeter)
Whatcanmultimetersmeasure?(#qmeasure)
Whatarevoltage,current,andresistance?(#qv oltage)
Whataredirectcurrent(DC)andalternatingcurrent(AC)?(#qACDC)
Whatareseriesandparallelcircuits?(#qseriesparallel)
Whatdoallthesymbolsonthefrontofthemultimetermean?(#qsy mbols)
Whataretheredandblackwires(probes)?WheredoIplugthemin?(#qwires)

Whatisamultimeter?
Amultimeterisahandytoolthatyouusetomeasureelectricity,justlikeyouwouldusearulertomeasuredistance,a
stopwatchtomeasuretime,orascaletomeasureweight.Theneatthingaboutamultimeteristhatunlikearuler,watch,or
scale,itcanmeasuredifferentthingskindoflikeamultitool.Mostmultimetershaveaknobonthefrontthatletsyou
selectwhatyouwanttomeasure.Belowisapictureofatypicalmultimeter.Therearemanydifferentmultimetermodels
visitthemultimetergallery (#multimetergallery )forlabeledpicturesofadditionalmodels.

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Figure1.Atypicalmultimeter.

Whatcanmultimetersmeasure?
Almostallmultimeterscanmeasurevoltage,current,andresistance.Seethenextsection(#qv oltage)foranexplanationof
whatthesetermsmean,andclickontheUsingaMultimeter(#usingamultimeter)tab,above,forinstructionsonhowtomake
thesemeasurements.

Somemultimetershaveacontinuitycheck,resultinginaloudbeepiftwothingsareelectricallyconnected.Thisishelpful
if,forinstance,youarebuildingacircuitandconnectingwiresorsolderingthebeepindicateseverythingisconnectedand
nothinghascomeloose.Youcanalsouseittomakesuretwothingsarenotconnected,tohelppreventshortcircuits.

Somemultimetersalsohaveadiodecheckfunction.Adiodeislikeaonewayvalvethatonlyletselectricityflowinone
direction.Theexactfunctionofthediodecheckcanvaryfrommultimetertomultimeter.Ifyou'reworkingwithadiodeand
can'ttellwhichwayitgoesinthecircuit,orifyou'renotsurethediodeisworkingproperly,thecheckfeaturecanbequite
handy.Ifyourmultimeterhasadiodecheckfunction,readthemanualtofindoutexactlyhowitworks.

Advancedmultimetersmighthaveotherfunctions,suchastheabilitytomeasureandidentifyotherelectricalcomponents,
liketransistorsorcapacitors.Sincenotallmultimetershavethesefeatures,wewillnotcovertheminthistutorial.Youcan
readyourmultimeter'smanualifyouneedtousethesefeatures.

Whatarevoltage,current,andresistance?
Ifyouhaven'theardofthesetermsbefore,we'llgiveaverysimpleintroductoryexplanationhere.Youcanreadmoreabout
voltage,current,andresistanceintheReferences (#ref erences)tab,above.Rememberthatvoltage,current,andresistanceare
measurablequantitiesthatareeachmeasuredinaunitthathasasymbol,justlikedistanceisaquantitythatcanbe
measuredinmeters,andthesymbolformetersism.

Voltageishowhardelectricityisbeing"pushed"throughacircuit.Ahighervoltagemeanstheelectricityisbeing

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pushedharder.Voltageismeasuredinvolts.ThesymbolforvoltsisV.
Currentishowmuchelectricityisflowingthroughthecircuit.Ahighercurrentmeansmoreelectricityisflowing.
Currentismeasuredinamperes.ThesymbolforamperesisA.
Resistanceishowdifficultitisforelectricitytoflowthroughsomething.Ahigherresistancemeansitismoredifficult
forelectricitytoflow.Resistanceismeasuredinohms.Thesymbolforohmsis(thecapitalGreekletteromega).

TechnicalNote

Thesymbolthatisusedforaunitisusuallydifferentthanthesymbolforavariableinanequation.Forexample,
voltage,current,andresistancearerelatedbyOhm'slaw(seetheReferences (#ref erences)tabtolearnmoreaboutOhm's
law):

V oltage = C urrent Resistance

whichisusuallyexpressedas

V = IR

Inthisequation,Vrepresentsvoltage,Irepresentscurrent,andRrepresentsresistance.Whenreferringtotheunits
volts,amps,andohms,weusethesymbolsV,A,and,asexplainedabove.So,"V"isusedforbothvoltageand
volts,butcurrentandresistancehavedifferentsymbolsfortheirvariablesandunits.Don'tworryifthisseemsconfusing
thistablewillhelpyoukeeptrack:

Variable Symbol Unit Symbol

Voltage V Volts V

Current I Ampere A

Resistance R Ohm

Thisisverycommoninphysics.Forexample,inmanyequations,"position"and"distance"arerepresentedbythe
variables"x"or"d,"buttheyaremeasuredintheunitmeters,andthesymbolformetersism.

Asimpleanalogytobetterunderstandvoltage,current,andresistance:imaginewaterflowingthroughapipe.Theamountof
waterflowingthroughthepipeislikecurrent.Morewaterflowmeansmorecurrent.Theamountofpressuremakingthewater
flowislikevoltageahigherpressurewill"push"thewaterharder,increasingtheflow.Resistanceislikeanobstructionin
thepipe.Forinstance,apipethatiscloggedwithdebrisorobjectswillbeharderforwatertoflowthrough,andwillhavea
higherresistancethanapipethatisfreeofobstruction.

Thiscartoon(http://gsury alss.f iles.wordpress.com/2012/02/v oltampohm.jpg)illustratestheideaaswell"volt"istryingtopush"amp"

throughanarrowopening,whichisbeingrestrictedby"ohm."

Whataredirectcurrent(DC)andalternatingcurrent(AC)?
Directcurrent(abbreviatedDC)iscurrentthatalwaysflowsinonedirection.Directcurrentissuppliedbyeverydaybatteries
likeAAandAAAbatteriesortheoneinyourcellphone.MostoftheScienceBuddiesprojectsyoudowillprobably
involvemeasuringdirectcurrent.Differentmultimetershavedifferentsymbolsformeasuringdirectcurrent(andthe
correspondingvoltage),usually"DCA"and"DCV,"or"A"and"V"withastraightbaraboveornexttothem.See"Whatdoall
thesymbolsonthefrontofthemultimetermean?(#qsy mbols)"formoreinformationabouttheabbreviationsandsymbolson
multimeters.

Alternatingcurrent(abbreviatedAC)iscurrentthatchangesdirection,usuallymanytimesinonesecond.Thewalloutlets
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inyourhouseprovidealternatingcurrentthatswitchesdirections60timespersecond(intheU.S.,but50timespersecond
inothercountries).(Warning:Donotuseamultimetertomeasurethewalloutletsinyourhome.Thisisverydangerous.)If
youneedtomeasurealternatingcurrentinacircuit,differentmultimetershavedifferentsymbolstomeasureit(andthe
correspondingvoltage),usually"ACA"and"ACV,"or"A"and"V"withasquigglyline(~)nexttoorabovethem.

Whatareseriesandparallelcircuits?
Whenyoutakemeasurementswithamultimeter,youwillneedtodecidewhethertoattachittoyourcircuitinseriesorin
parallel,dependingonwhatyouwanttomeasure.Inaseriescircuit,eachcircuitelementhasthesamecurrent.So,to
measurecurrentinacircuit,youmustattachthemultimeterinseries.Inaparallelcircuit,eachcircuitmeasurementhasthe
samevoltage.So,tomeasurevoltageinacircuit,youmustattachyourmultimeterinparallel.Tolearnhowtotakethese
measurements,seetheUsingaMultimeter(#usingamultimeter)tab.

Figure2showsbasicseriesandparallelcircuits,withoutamultimeterconnected.Tolearnmoreaboutvoltage,current,and
resistanceinseriesandparallelcircuits,checkouttheReferences (#ref erences)tab.

Figure2.Inabasicseriescircuit(left),eachelementhasthesamecurrent(butnotnecessarilythesamevoltagethatwill
onlyhappeniftheirresistancesareallthesame).Inabasicparallelcircuit(right),eachelementhasthesamevoltage(but
notnecessarilythesamecurrentthatwillonlyhappeniftheirresistancesareallthesame).

Whatdoallthesymbolsonthefrontofthemultimetermean?
Youmightbeconfusedbyallthesymbolsonthefrontofyourmultimeter,especiallyifyoudon'tactuallyseewordslike
"voltage,""current,"and"resistance"spelledoutanywhere.Don'tworry!Rememberfromthe"Whatarevoltage,current,and
resistance?"sectionthatvoltage,current,andresistancehaveunitsofvolts,amps,andohms,whicharerepresentedbyV,
A,andrespectively.Mostmultimetersusetheseabbreviationsinsteadofspellingoutwords.Yourmultimetermighthave
someothersymbols,whichwewilldiscussbelow.

Mostmultimetersalsousemetricprefixes.Metricprefixesworkthesamewaywithunitsofelectricityastheydowith
otherunitsyoumightbemorefamiliarwith,likedistanceandmass.Forexample,youprobablyknowthatameterisaunit
ofdistance,akilometerisonethousandmeters,andamillimeterisonethousandthofameter.Thesameappliesto
milligrams,grams,andkilogramsformass.Herearethecommonmetricprefixesyouwillfindonmostmultimeters(fora
completelist,seetheReferences (#ref erences)tab):

(micro):onemillionth
m(milli):onethousandth
k(kilo):onethousand
M:(mega):onemillion

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Thesemetricprefixesareusedinthesamewayforvolts,amps,andohms.Forexample,200kispronounced"two
hundredkiloohms,"andmeanstwohundredthousand(200,000)ohms.

Somemultimetersare"autoranging,"whereasothersrequireyoutomanuallyselecttherangeforyourmeasurement.Ifyou
needtomanuallyselecttherange,youshouldalwayspickavaluethatisslightlyhigherthanthevalueyouexpectto
measure.Thinkaboutitlikeusingarulerandayardstick.Ifyouneedtomeasuresomethingthatis18incheslong,a12
inchrulerwillbetooshortyouneedtousetheyardstick.Thesameappliestousingamultimeter.Sayyouaregoingto
measurethevoltageofaAAbattery,whichyouexpecttobe1.5V.ThemultimeterontheleftinFigure3hasoptionsfor
200mV,2V,20V,200V,and600V(fordirectcurrent).200mVistoosmall,soyouwouldpickthenexthighestvaluethat
works:2V.Alloftheotheroptionsareunnecessarilylarge,andwouldresultinalossinaccuracy(itwouldbelikeusinga
50foottapemeasurethatonlyhasmarkingseveryfoot,andnoinchmarkingsitisn'tasaccurateasusingayardstickwith
1inchmarkings).

Figure3.Themultimeterontheleftismanualranging,withmanydifferentoptions(indicatedbymetricprefixes)for
measuringdifferentamountsofvoltage,current,andresistance.Themultimeterontherightisautoranging(notehowithas
feweroptionsfortheselectionknob),meaningitwillautomaticallyselecttheappropriaterange.

Whatdotheothersymbolsonthemultimetermean?
YoumighthavenoticedsomeothersymbolsbesidesV,A,,andmetricprefixesonthefrontofyourmultimeter.We'll
explainsomeofthosesymbolshere,butremember,allmultimetersaredifferent,sowecannotcovereverypossibleoption
inthistutorial.Checkyourmultimeter'smanualifyoustillcan'tfigureoutwhatoneofthesymbolsmeans.Youcanalso
browseourmultimetergallery (#multimetergallery )toseelabeledpicturesofdifferentmultimeters.

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MultimeterSymbol Samples

~(squigglyline):Youmightseeasquigglylinenexttoor
aboveaVorAonthefrontofyourmultimeter,inaddition
tometricprefixes.Thisstandsforalternatingcurrent
(AC).NotethatthevoltageinanACcircuitisusually
referredtoas"ACvoltage"(eventhoughitsoundsstrange
tosay"alternatingcurrentvoltage").Youusethese
settingswhenyouaremeasuringacircuitwithalternating
current(orvoltage).

,(solidlineordashedline):Likethesquigglyline,
youmightseethisnexttooraboveaVoranA.The
straightlinesstandfordirectcurrent.Youusethese
settingswhenyouaremeasuringacircuitwithdirect
current(e.g.,mostcircuitsthatarepoweredbyabattery).

DCV,ACV,ACA,DCA,VAC,orVDC:Sometimes,
insteadof(orinadditionto)usingsquigglyordashed
lines,multimeterswillusetheabbreviationsACandDC,
whichstandforalternatingcurrentanddirectcurrent,
respectively.NotethatsomemultimetersmighthaveAC
andDCaftertheVandA,insteadofbefore.

Continuitycheck(seriesofparallelarcs):Thisisa
settingusedtocheckiftwothingsareelectrically
connected.Themultimeterwillbeepifthereisa
conductivepathbetweenthetwoprobetips(meaning,if
theresistanceisveryclosetozero),andwillnotmake
anynoiseifthereisnoconductivepath.Notethat
sometimesthecontinuitycheckcanbecombinedwith
otherfunctionsonasinglesetting.

Diodecheck(trianglewithsomelinesthroughit):This
functionisusedtotestadiode,whichislikeaoneway
valveforelectricityitonlyletscurrentflowinone
direction.Theexactfunctionofthediodecheckcanbe
differentondifferentmultimeters.Checkyourmultimeter's
manualtolearnabouthowthediodecheckfunction
worksforyourmodel.

Table1.Somesymbolexamplesfromdifferentmultimeters.Checkoutthegallery (#multimetergallery )formoreexamples.

Whataretheredandblackwires(probes)?WheredoIplugthemin?
YourmultimeterprobablycamewithredandblackwiresthatlooksomethingliketheonesinFigure4.Thesewiresare
calledprobesorleads(pronounced"leeds").Oneendoftheleadiscalledabananajackthisendplugsintoyour
multimeter(Note:somemultimetershavepinjacks,whicharesmallerthanbananajacksifyouneedtobuyreplacement
probes,besuretocheckyourmultimeter'smanualtofindoutwhichkindyouneed).Theotherendiscalledtheprobetip
thisistheendyouusetotestyourcircuit.Followingstandardelectronicsconvention,theredprobeisusedforpositive,and
theblackprobeisusedfornegative.

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Figure4.Atypicalpairofmultimeterprobes.

Althoughtheycomewithtwoprobes,manymultimetershavemorethantwoplacesinwhichtoplugtheprobes,whichcan
causesomeconfusion.Exactlywhereyouplugtheprobesinwilldependonwhatyouwanttomeasure(voltage,current,
resistance,continuitytest,ordiodetest)andthetypeofmultimeteryouhave.Wehaveprovidedoneexampleintheimages
belowandyoucancheckourgallery (#multimetergallery )foramultimetersimilartoyoursbutsinceallmultimetersareslightly
different,youmightneedtoconsultthemanualforyourmultimeter.

Mostmultimeters(exceptforveryinexpensiveones)havefusestoprotectthemfromtoomuchcurrent.Fuses"burnout"if
toomuchcurrentflowsthroughthemthisstopselectricityfromflowing,andpreventsdamagetotherestofthemultimeter.
Somemultimetershavedifferentfuses,dependingonwhetheryouwillbemeasuringhighorlowcurrent,whichdetermines
whereyouplugtheprobesin.Forexample,themultimetershowninFigure5hasonefusefor10amps(10A)andonefuse
for200milliamps(200mA).

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Figure5.Thismultimeterhasthreedifferentportslabeled10A,COM(whichstandsfor"common"),andmAV.Thefuse
betweenmAVandCOMisratedfor200mA,whichisarelatively"low"current.So,inordertomeasuresmallcurrentsor
voltageorresistance(verylittlecurrentflowsthroughthemultimeterwhenmeasuringvoltageorresistance)youplugthe
blackprobeintoCOMandtheredprobeintotheportlabeledmAV.Thefusebetween10AandCOMisratedfor10A,soto
measurehighcurrents,youplugtheblackprobeintoCOMandtheredprobeintotheportlabeled10A.

Doyouhaveamultimeterbutareconfusedabouthowtouseitoraregettingunexpectedreadings?Ifso,thesectionsbelow
willhelpyousortthroughwhattodo.Iftherearewordsorconceptsyoudonotunderstand,orsymbolsonyourmultimeter
thatpuzzleyou,returntotheMultimeterOverview(#multimeterov erv iew)tab.Ifyouarelookingformultimeterusageideas
(#multimeterf un)orlabeledphotographsofassortedmultimetermodels (#multimetergallery ),thenvisittheothertabsinthismultimeter

tutorial.

Thissectionincludesanswerstothefollowingquestions:

HowdoImeasurevoltage?(#qmultimetermeasurev oltage)
HowdoImeasurecurrent?(#qmultimetermeasurecurrent)
HowdoImeasureresistance?(#qmultimetermeasureresistance)
HowdoIdoacontinuitycheck?(#qmultimetercontinuity check)
HowdoIdoadiodecheck?(#qmultimeterdiodecheck)
HowdoIknowwhichscaletopickforvoltage,current,orresistance,andhowdoIreadthenumbersatdifferent
scales?(#qmultimeterscale)
Mymultimeterisn'tworking!What'swrong?(#qmultimeterwrong)
HowdoIknowifIneedtochangethefuse?(#qmultimeterknowchangef use)
HowdoIchangethefuse?(#qmultimeterhowchangef use)

HowdoImeasurevoltage?
Tomeasurevoltage,followthesesteps:

1.Plugyourblackandredprobesintotheappropriatesockets(alsoreferredtoas"ports")onyourmultimeter.Formost
multimeters,theblackprobeshouldbepluggedintothesocketlabeled"COM,"andtheredprobeintothesocket
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labeledwitha"V"(itmightalsohavesomeothersymbols).Remembertocheckoutourimagegallery,theMultimeter
Overview(#multimeterov erv iew)tab,oryourmultimeter'smanualifyouhavetroubleidentifyingtherightsocket.
2.Choosetheappropriatevoltagesettingonyourmultimeter'sdial.Rememberthatmostbatterypoweredcircuitswill
havedirectcurrent,butthesettingyouselectwilldependonthescienceprojectyouaredoing.Ifyouareworking
withamanualrangingmultimeter,youcanestimatetherangeyouneedbasedonthebattery(orbatteries)powering
yourcircuit.Forexample,ifyourcircuitispoweredbyasingle9Vbattery,itprobablydoesn'tmakesensetoselect
thesettingfor200V,and2Vwouldbetoolow.Ifavailable,youwouldwanttoselect20V.
3.Touchtheprobetipstoyourcircuitinparallelwiththeelementyouwanttomeasurevoltageacross(refertothe
MultimeterOverview(#multimeterov erv iew)tabforanexplanationofseriesandparallelcircuits).Forexample,Figure6
showshowtomeasurethevoltagedropacrossalightbulbpoweredbythebattery.Besuretousetheredprobeon
thesideconnectedtothepositivebatteryterminal,andtheblackprobeonthesideconnectedtothenegativebattery
terminal(nothingwillbeharmedifyougetthisbackwards,butyourvoltagereadingwillbenegative).

Figure6.Measuringvoltageacrossalightbulbbyattachingthemultimeterprobesinparallel.Currentflowisrepresentedby
theyellowarrows.Involtagemeasurementmode,themultimeter'sresistanceisveryhigh,soalmostallofthecurrentflows
throughthelightbulb,andthemultimeterdoesnothaveabigimpactonthecircuit.Noticehowtheknobhasbeensetto
measureDCvoltage(DCV)andtheredprobeispluggedintothecorrectportformeasuringvoltage(labeled"V"becauseit
isalsousedtomeasureresistance).

4.Ifyourmultimeterisnotautoranging,youmightneedtoadjusttherange.Ifyourmultimeter'sscreenjustreads"0,"
thentherangeyouhaveselectedisprobablytoohigh.Ifthescreenreads"OVER,""OL,"or"1"(thesearedifferent
waysofsaying"overload"),thentherangeyouhaveselectedistoolow.Ifthishappens,adjustyourrangeupordown
asnecessary.Rememberthatyoumightneedtoconsultyourmultimeter'smanualforspecificsaboutyourmodel.

HowdoImeasurecurrent?
Tomeasurecurrent,followthesesteps:

1.Plugyourredandblackprobesintotheappropriatesockets(alsoreferredtoas"ports")onthemultimeter.Formost
multimeters,theblackprobeshouldbepluggedintothesocketlabeled"COM."Theremightbemultiplesocketsfor
measuringcurrent,withlabelslike"10A"and"mA".Note:Itisalwayssafertostartoutwiththesocketthatcan
measurealargercurrent.Plugtheredsocketintothehighcurrentport.
2.Choosetheappropriatecurrentsettingonyourmultimeter.Remembertocheckifyourcircuitisdirectcurrentor

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alternatingcurrent,andthatalmostallbatterypoweredcircuitswillbedirectcurrent.Ifyourmeterisnotautoranging,
youmightneedtoguessatthescaletouse(youcanchangethislaterifyoudon'tgetagoodreading).
3.Connectthemultimeterprobesinseriestothecurrentyouwanttomeasure(refertotheMultimeterOverview
(#multimeterov erv iew)tabforanexplanationofseriesandparallelcircuits).Forexample,Figure7showshowtomeasure

thecurrentthroughalightbulbthatispoweredbyabattery.Besuretousetheredprobetowardthebattery'spositive
side,otherwiseyourcurrentreadingwillbenegative.

Figure7.Measuringthecurrentthroughalightbulbbyattachingamultimeterinseries.Currentflowisrepresentedbythe
yellowarrows.Incurrentmeasurementmode,themultimeter'sresistanceisverylow,sothecurrentcaneasilyflowthrough
themultimeterwithoutaffectingtherestofthecircuit.Noticehowtheknobhasbeensettomeasuredirectcurrent(DCA)
andtheredprobeispluggedintotheportformeasuringcurrent,labeledwithan"A."

4.Ifyourmultimeterisnotautoranging,youmightneedtoadjusttherange.Ifyourmultimeter'sscreenjustreads"0,"
thentherangeyouhaveselectedisprobablytoohigh.Ifthescreenreads"OVER,""OL,"or"1"(thesearedifferent
waysofsaying"overload"),thentherangeyouhaveselectedistoolow.Ifthishappens,adjustyourrangeupordown
asnecessary.Rememberthatyoumightneedtoconsultyourmultimeter'smanualforspecificsaboutyourmodel.

HowdoImeasureresistance?
Tomeasureresistance,followthesesteps:

1.Plugyourredandblackprobesintotheappropriatesocketsonyourmultimeter.Formostmultimeters,theblack
probeshouldbepluggedintothesocketlabeled"COM,"andtheredprobeshouldbepluggedintothesocketlabeled
withan""symbol.
2.Choosetheappropriateresistancemeasurementsettingonyourmultimeter'sdial.Ifyouhaveanestimateforthe
resistanceyouwillbemeasuring(forexample,ifyouaremeasuringaresistorwithaknownvalue),thatwillhelpyou
picktherange.
3.Important:Turnoffthepowersupplytoyourcircuitbeforemeasuringresistance.Ifyourcircuithasapowerswitch,
youcandothisbyturningtheswitch"off."Ifthereisnoswitch,youcanremovethebatteries.Ifyoudonotdothis,
yourreadingmightbeincorrect.Ifyourcircuithasmultiplecomponents,youmightneedtoremovethecomponent
youwanttomeasureinordertoaccuratelydetermineitsresistance.Forexample,ifyourcircuithastworesistorsin
parallel,youwillhavetoremoveoneresistortomeasuretheirresistancesindividually.

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Connectoneofyourmultimeter'sprobestoeachsideoftheobjectwhoseresistanceyouwanttomeasure.
Resistanceisalwayspositiveandthesameinbothdirections,soitdoesnotmatterifyouswitchtheblackandred
probesinthiscase(unlessyouaredealingwithadiode,whichactslikeaonewayvalveforelectricity,soithasa
highresistanceinonedirectionandalowresistanceintheotherdirection).Figure8showshowtomeasurethe
resistanceofalightbulb.

Figure8.Measuringtheresistanceofalightbulbusingamultimeter.Noticehowthelightbulbhasbeendisconnectedfrom
thecircuit.Themultimetersuppliesitsownsmallamountofcurrent,whichallowsittomeasuretheresistance.Noticehow
theknobhasbeensettothe""tomeasureresistance,andtheredprobeispluggedintotheproperporttomeasure
resistance(labeled"V"sinceitisalsousedtomeasurevoltage).

4.Ifyourmultimeterisnotautoranging,youmightneedtoadjusttherange.Ifyourmultimeter'sscreenjustreads"0,"
thentherangeyouhaveselectedisprobablytoohigh.Ifthescreenreads"OVER,""OL,"or"1"(thesearedifferent
waysofsaying"overload"),thentherangeyouhaveselectedistoolow.Ifthishappens,adjustyourrangeupordown
asnecessary.Rememberthatyoumightneedtoconsultyourmultimeter'smanualforspecificsaboutyourmodel.

HowdoIdoacontinuitycheck?
Todoacontinuitycheck(whichensuresthatthereisaconductivepathbetweentwopointsinyourcircuit),followthese
steps:

1.Setyourmultimetertothecontinuitychecksymbol.Rememberthatthissymbolmightnotlookthesameonall
multimeters(andsomemultimetersdonothaveitatall),socheckouttheMultimeterOverview(#multimeterov erv iew)tab
orourmultimeterimagegallery (#multimetergallery )toseeexamples.
2.Plugyourprobesintotheappropriatesockets.Onmostmultimeters,theblackprobeshouldgointothesocket
labeled"COM,"andtheredprobeshouldgointothesamesocketyouwouldusetomeasurevoltageorresistance
(notcurrent),labeledwithaVand/oran.
3.Important:Turnoffthepowersupplytoyourcircuitbeforedoingacontinuitycheck.Ifyourcircuithasapower
switch,youcandothisbyturningtheswitch"off."Ifthereisnoswitch,youcanremovethebatteries.

Touchtwopartsofyourcircuitwiththeprobes.Ifthetwopartsofthecircuitareelectricallyconnectedwithverylittle
resistancebetweenthem,yourmultimetershouldbeep.Iftheyarenotconnected,itwillnotmakeanoiseandmight
displaysomethingonthescreensuchas"OL,""OVER,"or"1,"whichallstandfor"overload."Theeasiestwayto
testthisfunctionwithyourmultimeteristocheckitwithasinglepieceofconductivematerial(mostmetals)anda

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pieceofnonconductingmaterial,likewoodorplastic.SeeFigure9foranexample.

Figure9.Usingamultimetertodoacontinuitytest.Ifaconductivepathisformedbetweentheprobetips,themultimeter
willbeep.Iftheconductivepathisbroken(possiblyduetoawirethathascomelooseinyourcircuit,orabadsolder
connection),themultimeterwillnotbeep.Noticehowtheknobhasbeensettothesymbolforcontinuityandtheredprobe
ispluggedintotheVport(thisportisnotalwayslabeledwiththecontinuitysymbol).

HowdoIdoadiodecheck?
Thediodecheckfeatureisusefultodetermineinwhichdirectionelectricityflowsthroughadiode.Theexactoperationofthe
"diodecheck"functionwillvaryfordifferentmultimeters,andsomemultimetersdonothaveadiodecheckfeatureatall.
Becauseofthisvariety,andbecausethefeatureisnotrequiredformostScienceBuddiesprojects,wehavenotincluded
directionshere.Ifyouneedtodoadiodecheck,consultthemanualforyourmultimeter.

HowdoIknowwhichscaletopickforvoltage,current,orresistance,andhowdoIreadthenumbersat
differentscales?
Ifyourmultimeterisnotautoranging,knowingwhichscaletopickcanbetricky,especiallyifyouarenotveryfamiliarwith
metricprefixes.Herearetworulesofthumbyoucanfollowformeasuringvoltage,current,andresistance:

Voltage:Manymanualrangingmultimetershavesettingsfor200mV,2V,and20V.Itisveryunlikelythatbattery
poweredcircuitswillexceed20V(forexample,two9Vbatteriesconnectedinserieswillprovideamaximumof18V).
AsingleAAorAAAbatterysupplies1.5V.TwoAAorAAAbatteriescombinedinabatterypackwillprovide3V,four
willprovide6V,andeightwillprovide12V.So,ifyouknowwhattypeofbatteries(andhowmany),arepoweringyour
circuit,youcanpickastartingrangetomeasurevoltage.Rememberthatyouwanttopickthenexthighestvoltage
setting(justlikewithmeasuringdistanceyouwouldneedayardsticknota12inchrulertomeasuresomething
thatis18incheslong).So,foracircuitpoweredbyasingleAAbattery(1.5V),youwouldselectthe2Vsetting.Fora
circuitpoweredbya9Vbattery,youwouldselect20V.
Current:Whenmeasuringcurrent,itisalwaysagoodideatostartoutwiththehighestpossiblecurrentsetting(and
theappropriatehighcurrentsocket,ifyourmultimeterhasmultiplesocketstomeasurecurrent),inordertoavoid
blowingafuse.Ifthecurrentyoumeasureislowenoughtosafelyuseyourlowcurrentsettingsandsocket,thenyou
cantakeanewreadingtogetamoreaccuratemeasurement.Forexample,sayyourmultimeterhasasocketwitha
10Afuseandonewitha200mAfuse.Usingthe10Asocket,youmeasureacurrentof150mA.Thenitwouldbesafe
tomeasureagainwiththe200mAsocket(andalowersettingontheknob).
Resistance:Ifyouaremeasuringanobjectwithaknownresistance,youcanusethatvaluetochoosethe
appropriateresistancesetting.Aswithcurrentandvoltage,youneedtopickthenextlargestresistancevalueonyour
scale.Forexample,tomeasurea4.7kresistor,youwouldselect20k.Ifyouaremeasuringanobjectwith
unknownresistance,youwilljusthavetoguess,butitisdifficulttodamageyourmultimeterortheobjectyouare
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testingwhenmeasuringresistance,sothisisnotabigproblem.

Thesamevaluemightappeardifferentlywhenmeasuredwithadifferentscaleselectedonthemultimeterdial.Foran
example,let'susemeasuringtheDCvoltagefromaAAbatterywhichweexpecttobe1.5Vusingamultimeterthathas
settingsfor200mV,2V,20V,200V,and600V.Whenmeasuringthebatterywitheachsetting,wegetthesereadings:

MultimeterDialSetting ScreenReading

200mV 1.

2V 1.607

20V 1.60

200V 1.6

600V 001

Table2.ReadingswhenmeasuringvoltageofasingleAAbatteryusingdifferentdialsettingsonamanualranging
multimeter.

The"1."isthismultimeter'swayofsayingthatitis"overloaded"thevalueof1.6Visoutsidetheselectedrangeof200mV.
Othermultimetersmightdisplay"OVER"or"OL"whenthishappens.Noticethatastherangeincreases,theaccuracy
decreases.Atthe2Vsetting,thereadingdisplays3decimalplaces.Atthe200Vsetting,thereadingonlydisplaysone
decimalplace.

Youmightalsoneedtotakemetricprefixesintoaccountwhenreadingthenumberfromthemultimeterscreen.Forexample,
supposeyourscreenreads"6.1"whenyouaremeasuringcurrentwiththe"10A"setting.Thismeansyourcurrent
measurementis6.1amps.However,ifthescreenreads"6.1"whenyouhavethecurrentdialsetto20mA,thismeansyou
aremeasuring6.1milliamps.

Mymultimeterisn'tworking!What'swrong?
Don'tpanic!Thereareseveralcommonmistakesthatcanbeeasilyfixed.

Makesureyourmultimeterhasfreshbatteries.
Somemultimetershaveanautopowersavingfeature,andwillturnoffafteracertainperiodofinactivity.Ifthis
happens,turnyourmultimeter'sdialto"off"andthenturnitonagain.
Makesureyouhaveyourprobespluggedintothecorrectportsforwhatyouwanttomeasure(seethe"HowdoI
measure...(#qmultimetermeasurev oltage)"sectionsabove).
Makesureyouareconnectingyourprobestoyourcircuitinthecorrectmanner(seriesorparallel)forwhatyouwant
tomeasure(seethe"HowdoImeasure...(#qmultimetermeasurev oltage)"sectionsabove).
Makesureyouhavethecorrectsettingchosenonyourmultimeterdialforwhatyouwanttomeasureforexample,if
youneedtomeasureDCvoltage,makesureyoudon'thavecurrent,resistance,orACvoltageselectedonthedial.
Ifyourmultimeterisnotautoranging,youmightneedtomanuallyadjustyourrange.Ifyourmultimeterscreenalways
reads"0,"thismightmeantherangeyouhaveselectedistoohigh.Ifitreads"OL,""OVER,"or"1,"therangeyou
haveselectedcouldbetoolow.Eachmultimeterisdifferent,soyoumightneedtoreadyourmultimeter'smanualto
findoutwhatthedisplayonthescreenmeans.Youcanthenadjusttherangeaccordingly.
Forexample,ifyouaretryingtomeasurethevoltageofa9Vbattery,buthaveyourmultimetersetto2DCV,
thisrangeistoosmallandyouwouldhavetoincreaseittoahighervalue,suchas20DCV.

Stillnotworking?Youmighthaveblownoutafuseinyourmultimeter.Seethenextsectionforsuggestions.

HowdoIknowifIneedtochangethefuse?

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Somemultimetershaveafuse(ormultiplefuses)thatwill"burnout"whentoomuchcurrentflowsthroughthem,whichthen
preventsmoreelectricityfromflowing,andhopefullysavestherestofthemultimeterfromdamage.Insomemultimeters,
thesefusescanbereplacediftheyburnout,butinstructionsforreplacingthem(andfiguringoutiftheyneedtobereplaced
atall)willvaryfordifferentmultimetermodels.

Youwillprobablyneedtoopenupyourmultimetertoaccessthefuses(Important:Alwaysdisconnecttheprobesbefore
youdothis).Somemultimetershavecoversthatwillpoporslideoff,andsomehavescrewsthatmustberemovedfirst.
Fusesusuallylooklikesmall,glasscylinderswithmetalcapsontheendandathinwirerunningdownthemiddle:

Figure10.Atypicalfuse.

Ifafusehasburnedout,itmightbevisiblyblackenedorcharred.Thewireontheinsidemighthavecompletelyburnedaway,
andnolongerbevisible.

HowdoIchangethefuse?
Important:Alwaysdisconnecttheleadsfromyourmultimeterbeforeopeningthecovertochangethefuse.

Instructionsforchangingthefusevarywitheachmultimetermodel,soyouwillneedtocheckyourmultimeter'smanualfor
instructions.Thistutorial(http://learn.sparkf un.com/tutorials/howtouseamultimeter/f use)fromSparkFunprovidesdirectionsforchanginga
fuseontheirbrandofmultimeter,butrememberthatthesedirectionsmightnotapplytoyourmodel.Notethatinsome
multimetersespeciallyininexpensiveonesyoumightnotbeabletochangethefuse.

Inthismultimetertutorial,wehavealreadycoveredwhatamultimeter(#multimeterov erv iew)isandhowtouseit(#usingamultimeter).

Thissectionwillprovidesomesuggestionsofpracticalandinterestingthingstodowithamultimeter.

Thissectionanswersthequestions:

WhatcanIdowithamultimeteraroundthehouse?(#qmultimeterhouse)
Whatshouldn'tIdowithmymultimeter?(#qmultimetershouldnot)
WhichScienceBuddiesprojectsrequireamultimeter?(#qmultimeterprojects)

WhatcanIdowithamultimeteraroundthehouse?
Rememberthattheprimarypurposeofamultimeteristotestcircuitsandelectricalcomponentsinanexperimentor
scienceprojectthatinvolveselectronics.Whatifyoudon'thaveacircuittotest?Hereareacouplesuggestionsforquick
experimentsyoucandowithamultimeteraroundyourhouse.

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Testbatteries!Haveyoueverwonderedifadeviceortoystoppedworkingbecausethebatteriesweredead?Witha
multimeter,youcanmakesurebatteriesareactuallydeadbeforerecyclingthembytestingtheirvoltage.Remember
thatfreshAAandAAAbatteriesshouldsupplyabout1.5V(afreshalkalinecellwillmeasureabout1.6Vwithnothing
elseattached).However,batterieswilleffectivelybe"dead"longbeforetheyreach0V.Forexample,ifabatteryis
supplying0.7V,thatprobablyisn'tenoughtopowermosthouseholddevicesthatareexpecting1.5Vfromthebattery.
Doyouhaverechargeablebatteries?Youcantesttheirvoltageovertimeastheyrecharge,andthenmakeaplotof
voltagevs.charge.Howlongdoesittakeforthevoltagetostopincreasing?Isthegraphastraightline?
Doyouhaveanythingyoucantakeapartwithacircuitboardinside,likeanoldtoy,oraTVremote?Usethe
continuitycheckonyourmultimeter(ifithasone)totestwhichpartsofthecircuitaredirectlyconnectedtoeach
other.(Warning:Oldcircuitboardsareconstructedwithaleadbasedsolder,whichistoxic.Alwayswashyour
handscarefullyafterhandlingsolder,andcheckyourlocalwastedisposalguidelinestoseeiftherearespecialrules
aboutdisposingofleadashazardouswaste.)
Setyourmultimetertomeasureresistance,andhaveeveryoneinyourhousetaketurnsgrabbingthemetaltipsofthe
probes(oneineachhand).Whohasthehighestresistance?Thelowest?
Usethecontinuitycheckorresistancemeasurementtotestdifferentmaterialsinyourhouse.Whichonesare
conductorsandwhichonesareinsulators?
Hookthemultimeterleadsuptoaspeakerusingspeakerwire,andsetthemultimetertomeasureACamps(orAC
voltsifACampsisnotavailable).Whocangetthemultimetertodisplaythebiggestnumberbyyellingintothe
speaker?(Inthiscase,thespeakerisworkinglikeamicrophone,generatingcurrentwhenitdetectssound.)

Whatshouldn'tIdowithmymultimeter?
Donotuseamultimetertotestelectricityfromthewalloutletsinyourhome.Electricityfromwalloutletsisvery
dangerousandcanbefatal.
Donotconnecttheprobesdirectlytoabatteryorotherpowersupplywhenyouhavea"current"measurement
settingselected.Thiswillcausea"shortcircuit"acrossthebatteryterminals,andaveryhighcurrentwillflowthrough
yourmultimeter.Thiswillprobablyblowafuse,orpossiblydamagethemultimeter.

WhichScienceBuddiesprojectsrequireamultimeter?
AlotofScienceBuddiesprojectsrequireamultimeteritisareallyhandytool!Infact,therearetoomanytolist,buthereis
asamplingofafewthatcoveravarietyoftopics:

ElectrolyteChallenge:OrangeJuiceVs.SportsDrink (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencef airprojects/project_ideas/Chem_p053.shtml).

Thisprojectcomparestheamountofelectrolytesinasportsdrinktotheamountintypicalorangejuice.Dosports
drinksliveuptotheirpromise?Useamultimetertofindouthowwellthesedifferentliquidsconductelectricity.
PotatoBatteries:HowtoTurnProduceintoVeggiePower!(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencef air
projects/project_ideas/Energy _p010.shtml).DidyouknowthatyoucanmakeabatteryandevenlightupLEDswitheveryday

fruitsandvegetables?Useamultimetertotestthecurrentandvoltagethatcanbesuppliedbyyourafternoonsnack.
WatertoFueltoWater:TheFuelCycleoftheFuture(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencef airprojects/project_ideas/Chem_p099.shtml).
Helpsavetheplanetwiththisgreenenergyproject!Usefuelcellstostoreenergyproducedbysolarpanelsforuse
whenit'sdarkout,anduseyourhandymultimetertokeeptrackofyourpowergeneration.
MeasureLuminescenceinGlowintheDarkObjects (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencef airprojects/project_ideas/Chem_p072.shtml).
Usingalightsensor,asimplecircuit,andamultimeter,youcanmeasuretheamountoflightgivenoffbyglowinthe
darkobjects.
TurnMudintoEnergywithaMicrobialFuelCellandaDashofSalt(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencef air
projects/project_ideas/Elec_p071.shtml).Doesgeneratingelectricityfrommudsoundcrazy?Believeitornot,withhelpfrom

somefriendlybacteria,youcanturnaneverydayscoopofdirtintoabattery.Useamultimetertohelpdesignthis
greenenergyfuelcell.
WilyWaves:BuildanOscillatingWaterColumntoExtractEnergyfromOceanWaves (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science
f airprojects/project_ideas/Energy _p037.shtml).Harnessingthepoweroftheoceanisyetanothergreenenergytechnologythat

couldhelpreduceourdependenceonfossilfuels.Useamultimetertomeasuretheelectricalpowergeneratedby
youroscillatingwatercolumn.
ABatteryThatMakesCents (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencef airprojects/project_ideas/Energy _p015.shtml).Didyoueverthinkyou
couldmakeabatteryoutofpocketchange?Inthisprojectyouwillmakeabatteryoutofpenniesandnickels,and

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useamultimetertomeasurethecurrentandvoltagethatitcanproduce.

Whilemostmultimeterscanperformthesamebasicfunctions,differentmodelsthataremadebydifferentmanufacturers
mightnotalllookthesame.Inthegallerybelow,wehaveprovidedaseriesofimagesofdifferentmultimeterswithdifferent
measurementsettingsandsocketsfortheprobeslabeled.Notethatmostofthemultimetershavebasicfeaturesin
common,includingsettingsformeasuringvoltage,current,andresistance.Allofthemhaveasingle"ground"socketforthe
blackprobe.Mostofthemhaveseparatesocketsformeasuringhighandlowcurrent.Thelowcurrentsocketisalsousedto
measurevoltageandresistance.However,somemultimetersonlyhavetwosocketstotal,oronlyhaveonesocketfor
measuringcurrent.Somealsohaveadditionalfeaturesthatwedidnotlabel.

Remember,thisgalleryismeanttobeageneralguideifyoudonotseeyourmodelofmultimeterpicturedhere,yourbest
betistoconsultyourspecificmultimeter'smanual.Ifyouneedhelpgettingintroducedtomultimetersingeneral,referback
toourMultimeterOverview(#multimeterov erv iew)section.Ifyouneedtoknowhowtotakeaspecifictypeofmeasurement,referto
theUsingaMultimeter(#usingamultimeter)section.

(#2)

Thismultimeterisacombinationofautorangingandmanualranging.Forexample,itonlyhas
onesettingtomeasureDCvoltage,butithasthreesettingsformeasuringDCcurrent.Italso
hasonesocketformeasuringvoltageandresistance,andanothersocketformeasuringboth
highandlowcurrent.Italsohasa"Logic"testfunctionformeasuringdigitalcircuits(not
coveredinthistutorial).

Ifyouhavereadthroughthismultimetertutorialandstillhaveunansweredquestions,thereferencesbelowmightbehelpful.

Additionalreferencesaboutmultimeterusage:

AllAboutCircuits.(n.d.).SafeMeterUsage.RetrievedFebruary27,2013,from
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_3/9.html(http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/v ol_1/chpt_3/9.html)

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7/7/2016 HowtoUseaMultimeter

SparkFun.(n.d.).HowtoUseaMultimeter.RetrievedFebruary27,2013,fromhttp://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how
touseamultimeter(http://learn.sparkf un.com/tutorials/howtouseamultimeter)

Additionalreferencesaboutelectricityandcircuits:

AllAboutCircuits.(n.d.).VoltageandCurrent.RetrievedFebruary27,2013,from
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_1/4.html(http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/v ol_1/chpt_1/4.html)
ThePhysicsClassroom.(n.d.).CurrentElectricity:ChapterOutline.RetrievedFebruary27,2013,from
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/(http://www.phy sicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/)
Physics4Kids.(n.d.).Current.RetrievedFebruary27,2013,fromhttp://www.physics4kids.com/files/elec_current.html
(http://www.phy sics4kids.com/f iles/elec_current.html)

Afulllistofmetricprefixes:

Wikipediacontributors.(February25,2013).MetricPrefix.RetrievedFebruary28,2013,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Metric_prefix&oldid=540230790(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Metric_pref ix&oldid=540230790)

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