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Question:

General Physics question about electrical components?

I had lab and I don't quite understand why I did what we did. We used an analog and digital VOM and used it to record the ohms and volts of various electrical components. I was wondering why when using the analog that different devices read completely different ohm readings. Take for example, our Buss fuse didn't even make the needle move, but the diode and the resistor made it go to infinite ohms. How do I figure out what they are supposed to read, and what to expect before going to lab. I couldn't find anything in my book or the lab manual. Also, I was wondering why a resistor would measure outside of its' tolerance range. Is this because it was faulty? Any help is appreciated.

Answer:

Because the fuse is supposed to just create a short circuit when the current is larger than what it's supposed to be. the fuse must conduct therefore it won't have a large resistance whereas a resistor such as a light bulb or any other load is clearly to have high resistance, as the name resistor indicates.
hmm - the fuse resistance was very low, the diode was infinite 'cos it didn't conduct - it would have done if you reversed the polarity ( turned it round!). This was an experiment - you do not ask what they are supposed to read, it's your job to find out by measuring.!!! That's Physics, not Criminology! The resistor could be out of tolerance, but so what? Just measure it's value as it is now.

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