Electrical measurements Most data becomes electrical data at some point, so this is about basic electrical measurements.

• What will we cover and what will you be able to do at the end of this segment?
• Concepts - The concepts you will cover are:
• How do you measure voltage and current?
• AC measurements, including waveshape and frequency.
• Outcomes - At the end of this segment you should:
• Given a need to measure a voltage or a voltage signal,
• Be able to connect a voltmeter properly.
• Be able to predict situations where the voltmeter disturbs the circuit in a minimal way, or where the voltmeter produces an undesirable change in circuit operation when attached.
• Be able to determine correct range(s) for the voltmeter as necessary.
• Be able to use an oscilloscope to display a signal and calculate signal parameters - frequency and voltage.  (See also objectives for Signals.)
• Note - These concepts and outcomes are part of the concepts and outcomes for Basic Concepts.
• Why learn about basic measurements?
• If you are an engineer or scientist you need to be able to make measurements and you're better off if you have a knowledge of basic instruments and how to process data from those instruments.
• What should you already know to learn about basic measurements?
• You should know what charge, voltage and current are.
• Voltage and current in a resistor are related, and you should know about resistors and simple resistor circuits like voltage dividers.
• You should know about how signals are represented.
• What do you need to know about measurements?
• You need to know some basic concepts about how voltage and current are measured.
• You need to know how to use basic instruments like voltmeters, and their limitations.
• How do you use measurements?
• You will often store measured values in data files, and analyze that data with analysis programs like Mathcad, Matlab or Excel.
• What should you be able to do at the end of this unit?
• Given a simple circuit, you should be able to measure voltage (and current?) anywhere in the circuit using manual instruments including DVMs, Data Acquisition Units and Oscilloscopes.
• Problems
• Problem MeasVoltP01
• Problem Basic3vP03

        Here are some links to experiments you can do that will help you learn about basic measurements.

• Measuring Battery Voltage(s)
• Measuring Sensor Voltages
• Measuring Power Supply Voltage
• Measuring Voltage with an Oscilloscope