The voltage measured across a series short is zero. This can be explained by considering the behavior of a short circuit in a series circuit.

Explanation:

1. Series Circuit:
In a series circuit, the components are connected end-to-end, forming a single path for the flow of current. The same current flows through all the components in a series circuit.

2. Short Circuit:
A short circuit occurs when there is a low-resistance connection between two points in a circuit that are intended to have a high resistance. This low-resistance connection bypasses the normal current path, resulting in a very high current flow.

3. Voltage in a Series Circuit:
In a series circuit, the total voltage (Vtotal) is equal to the sum of the individual voltages across each component. This is known as the voltage divider rule.

4. Voltage across a Short Circuit:
When a short circuit occurs in a series circuit, it creates a low-resistance path. As a result, the majority of the current bypasses the rest of the components and flows through the short circuit.

5. Ohm's Law:
According to Ohm's Law, the voltage (V) across a resistor is equal to the product of the current (I) flowing through it and the resistance (R) of the resistor (V = I * R). Since a short circuit has a very low resistance, the voltage across it would be extremely small.

6. Voltage Measurement:
When measuring voltage across a short circuit using a voltmeter, the voltmeter itself has a very high internal resistance. In this case, the voltmeter would effectively act as an open circuit, as the voltage across the short circuit is very low. Thus, the voltmeter would measure zero volts.

Conclusion:
The voltage measured across a series short is zero because the short circuit provides a low-resistance path for the current to bypass the rest of the components. This results in a very low voltage drop across the short circuit itself, which can be measured as zero volts.