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Chapter 25: Problem 11

A student who's confused about voltage and current hooks a nearly ideal ammeter across a car battery. What happens?

Short Answer

Expert verified
If an ammeter is hooked directly across a car battery, it will create a nearly zero resistance path, essentially creating a short circuit. The high current that would flow could potentially damage the ammeter and even cause a fire.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Components and their Functions

First, we must understand what each electrical component in this scenario does. A car battery is a source of potential difference (voltage) and an ammeter is a device used to measure the amount of current (in amps) flowing through a circuit.
02

Understand the Connection

In this scenario, an ammeter is connected directly across a car battery. An ammeter, by its nature, has a very low internal resistance - almost zero - to not affect the current flow it measures when it's connected in series with the circuit.
03

Analyze the Result

If the ammeter is directly hooked to the battery, essentially, a very low resistance path is created. According to Ohm's law, the current can be found by dividing the voltage by the resistance (\(I = \frac{V}{R}\)), but if the resistance is nearly zero, this means that the current will be extremely high, possibly damaging the ammeter and causing heat, sparks, or even a fire. Essentially, a short circuit scenario is initiated.

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