I just graded some lab reports from juniors and seniors in an a
thermodynamics class. They had used thermocouples to measure
temperature, and many of them wrote things like, "We used a
microvoltmeter to measure the volts."
They should know better; we've discussed this type of thing before. And
when I ask them whether they use a ruler to measure the centimeters or
whether they use a ruler to measure the length they think it is pretty
obvious as well as pretty silly. But electricity seems different; and
we seasoned scientists are part of the problem because we call it a
voltmeter rather than a voltage meter or a potential-difference meter.
Likewise, they used a platinum resistance thermometer and said they
"...used a precision ohmmeter to measure the ohms." Same problem.
Not in this lab, but in others we've had the same problem with students
saying they measured the amps.
Is there any hope of changing the names of these meters to voltage
meters, resistance meters, and current meters?
Along the same lines, I try to call the general-purpose meters by the
name "multimeter" rather than "voltmeter" even though many scientists
(and students) call it a voltmeter. Hence, it is doubly bad when a
student says, "I measured the ohms with a voltmeter."
Anyone else having this problem? Anyone care?
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Bluffton College
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu