Why is the resistence in an ammeter is kept low while the resistence in a voltmeter is kept high?

Answer 1

Ammeters go into a circuit in series with the other components, so for it to be accurate it must have a low resistance, otherwise it would act as another 'load' on the circuit drawing more current and making the reading inaccurate.

Voltmeters on the other hand go into a circuit in parallel, this means they need a high resistance, so the current takes the easiest path - through the component such as a resistor or capacitor that the voltmeter is put across, rather than through the voltmeter itself.

Hope this helps..... ;o)

Answer 2

The ammeter is always used in series with the circuit for measuring the current and so its resistance has to be low so as not to affect the current being measured.

For the same reason, the voltmeter needs a high resistance as the meter is used parallel to the circuit for measuring the voltage.

Answer 3

ammeter=> used to measure current so we dont want it to absorbe any power.

voltmeter=> used to measure voltage so we dont want any current to pass through it.