The best piece of test equipment for tracing wire is the __________.

• A. Ohmmeter
• B. Multimeter
• C. Ammeter
• D. Voltmeter

Answer: (A)

Tracing a wire effectively comes down to continuity testing: you need to know whether the conductor provides a complete path. An ohmmeter is built to measure that path’s resistance and to indicate continuity: a good wire shows low resistance, while a break yields very high or infinite resistance. This direct reading lets you follow the wire, verify its route, and quickly locate where a circuit opens. A dedicated ohmmeter tends to be faster and easier for this task than other tools. A multimeter can measure resistance, but it’s a general-purpose instrument, not specifically optimized for quick continuity checks, whereas the ohmmeter is purpose-built for tracing wires. The ammeter and voltmeter measure current and voltage, respectively, and do not provide direct information about whether a wire is continuous.