A magnetic flow meter employs resonant circuit principles to increase the strength of the magnetic field to produce larger electrode difference potentials so that environmental influences have less effect on the operation of the flow meter. The flow meter may use an electromagnet that is resonant with a capacitor, generally at a frequency on the order of ten kHz. In addition, the meter comprises a magnetic field sensor and timing circuits that can sample the electrode difference potentials when the field is at a maximum and the time rate of change of field is instantaneously zero. Some versions of the meter operate in a one-shot mode and others operate with a burst of drive pulses.