Voltage

Voltage

One use of the digital multimeter is to check voltage. Whether you’re checking voltage in a battery or ensuring a plug is properly wired, voltage is a key attribute to measure in an electrical circuit.

Voltage is the measure of electric potential from one point to another. Think about this in relation to a stream. If you have a very shallow slope, your stream will not flow with much force. But if your stream bed is steep, your water will flow much more rapidly.

To measure voltage, you need to measure two different points in the circuit. The number you get is the voltage difference between those two points in a circuit. Below, the multimeter is used to connect across the hot and neutral of the Load Center. This shows that there is an electric potential of 5.122 volts between the two terminals.