An ammeter is a Basic Instrument Used to measure Electric Current. In this article we will be Going Through What is Ammeter, We will look at its Symbol, Further we will explore its properties, and go through its Different Types and At last we will be going through its Working, Uses, and FAQs.
Table of Content
What is Ammeter?
An ammeter is an instrument used to measure electric current. It measures either Direct Electric Current (DC) or Alternating Electric Current (AC) in amperes. Ampere is the unit of current, ammeter is used to measure current. Its unit of measurement is “amps”. The internal resistance of this ammeter is “0”, but in practice, it contains some internal resistance. It measures the electric current based on the resistance value. By using an ammeter we can measure the current flowing at a specific point in an electrical circuit.
Symbol of Ammeter
Given Below Diagram Represents the Symbol of Ammeter
Properties of Ammeter
- It is mainly used to measure the currents flowing from milliamps (mA) to kiloamps (kA).
- It has low resistance.
- It measures current in units of amperes (A).
- It provides accurate and precise results.
- In digital ammeters it is provides results in digits or decimal places.
Types of Ammeter
Ammeters are classified into different types based on their applications and uses in electrical circuit:
- Moving Coil Ammeter
- Electrodynamic Ammeter
- Moving-iron Ammeter
- Digital Ammeter
- Hot Wire Ammeter
- Integrating Ammeter
Moving Coil Ammeter
- Moving-coil ammeters traditional analog instruments that are used for general-purpose current measurements.Moving Coil ammeter is used to measure both AC & DC currents. The current passing through the coil creates a magnetic field, which causes the coil to rotate. The rotation is proportional to the current.
Electrodynamic Ammeter
- Electrodynamic ammeters use the rotation between a coil and an alternating magnetic field. Electrodynamic Ammeter are mainly used for measuring AC currents and are known for their high accuracy. Electrodynamic ammeters are commonly used in laboratories and scientific applications.
Moving-iron Ammeter
- Moving-iron ammeters are used for measuring both AC and DC currents. It uses a piece of iron that moves within a magnetic field generated by a coil. The magnetic field strength changes with current, which causes the iron piece to move and deflect to pointer. They are mainly used for industrial applications.
Digital Ammeter
- Digital ammeters measures current readings in numerical form on a digital display. They use digital components like analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) to measure the voltage drop across a known resistor (shunt) in the circuit. Digital ammeters are known for their accuracy and ease of reading. Digital ammeters measures current in the form of amperes.
Hot Wire Ammeter
- Hot Wire Ammeter uses a hot wire or filament to measure electric current. Hotwire ammeters are used for measuring alternating current (AC) in electrical circuits. It operates based on the principle ,the resistance of a wire changes with temperature, and change in resistance is proportional to the current passing through it.
Integrating Ammeter
- Integrating Ammeter measures the flow of current that is summation of current over the time and it gives the product of time & current. It calculates the whole energy that is supplied within the circuit in a interval of time. Example for Integrating Ammeter is Energy meter,Ampere hour meter.
Working of an Ammeter
It measures the total amount of electric charge or electric current that flows through a circuit over a specific period of time.It displays the total amount of electric charge that passed through the circuit over the particular time period.It measures the load current in an electric circuit over the time.
Uses of Ammeter
Some examples of ammeter are mentioned below:
- Ammeters are used to troubleshoot electrical circuits. ammeter identifies the problem such as overload in circuit , short circuits by measuring the current flow at different points in the circuit.
- Maintenance technicians and electricians use ammeters to perform routine checks on electrical circuits.
- Ammeters are mainly used to measure the charging and discharging current of batteries.
- Electric vehicle charging stations use ammeters to measure and control the current flow to the vehicle’s battery during charging, to ensure safe charging.
FAQs on Ammeter
1. What is an ammeter used for?
Ammeter is an instrument used to measure the flow of electric current in a circuit.
2. Can Ammeter measures both AC and DC current flow?
Yes, Ammeters can measure both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) ,you can measure both just by change the settings in device.
3. How is ammeter useful in electrical circuits?
Ammeters are used to troubleshoot the electrical circuits. ammeter identifies the problem such as overload in circuit , short circuits by measuring the current flow at different points in the circuit.
4. What is the SI Unit of Current?
The SI Unit of Current is measured in amperes (A). Smaller currents are expressed in the form milliamperes (mA), whereas ,1 A equals 1000 mA.