What does the DT-182 multimeter display on the 1.5V battery test setting?

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martix
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So I have this small multimeter - DT-182.

There are some settings for checking batteries. On the 1.5V battery setting in little parentheses below there is written 40mA.
So a fairly full battery displays around 35 something on the screen.

What is this "something" and how exactly does this test work?
 
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The purpose of a battery is to supply electric current at the rated voltage. Batteries should always be tested 'on load' because the voltage falls with current draw and age.
A (partly) exhausted battery will not be able to supply the rated current at the rated voltage. This is what your meter is testing.

The multimeter connects a resistor designed to draw a suitable load current from the battery. If the battery is (partly) exhausted the meter will display this reduced output.