Question

how will you calculate the least count of a voltmeter

Answer 1

The least count of any measuring tool is the minimum reading or value that can be measured by it.

In general the least count (LC) of any measuring device can be given by

Least count = Value measured in n divisionsnValue measured in n divisionsn


For the above analog voltmeter the least count will be,

LC=510=0.5VoltsLC=510=0.5Volts

Hence, 0.5 Volts is the least count for this Voltmeter.

Now what if the meter is a digital voltmeter or the multimeter that we generally use nowadays. So, how to find its least count. Let’s see how to find the least count for a digital Voltmeter.


This a 4-digit display Multimeter. Now if you see the rotating dial on the Multimeter you can see the quantities that you can measure. If the meter dial is pointing to Volts the minimum value that the meter can display is 0.001 Volts. Hence the least count for it is 0.001 Volts.