An ammeter is an instrument used to measure the flow of electric current in a circuit. It measures current in terms of amperes, which is the unit of current. The speed and force of a current can be measured using this instrument.
In the past, the instrument relied on the Earth’s magnetic field to take the readings of current. But as technology improved, better ammeters were designed and developed. Ammeters are mostly used in science laboratories. Other than scientists, electricians also use this instrument, to check the electric circuit.
There are smaller units of reading to amperes, namely, milliamperes and microamperes. These are measured using milliammeters and microammeters respectively.
There are two types of ammeters – analogue and digital. In analogue ammeters, there is a needle that points to the reading. In digital ammeters, they are displayed digitally.