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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/elec-voltmeter-high-resistance

Compared with the circuit it measures, a good voltmeter has what kind of resistance?

A voltmeter needs very high resistance.

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  1. Very high ✔
  2. Very low
  3. About equal

Why: High resistance means the meter draws almost no current and does not change the voltage it is reading. A low-resistance voltmeter would act like a short.

Huh, didn't know that: OpenStax notes no meter reading is perfectly exact, because connecting any meter changes the circuit slightly.

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References

Answer: Very high. High resistance means the meter draws almost no current and does not change the voltage it is reading. A low-resistance voltmeter would act like a short.

  1. OpenStax College Physics 2e, 21.4 DC Voltmeters and Ammeters openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/21-4-dc-voltmeters-and-ammeters
    a few orders of magnitude greater than the device
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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