Need help measuring really small voltages...

How would I measure voltages with the arduino in the range of 1 to 10 millivolts? I am guessing i have to use an amplifier. I am clueless about amplifiers, but I am capable of following directions or using formulas to find the right part values.

I am clueless about amplifiers,

That's tough because you are going to need to know about them to design something that is stable at these low voltage levels.

but I am capable of following directions or using formulas to find the right part values.

It's not as simple as that, this is a sort of 'one level up' project from the simple following instructions. A lot depends on layout and construction quality, it's not something you can lash up on a bread board.

Have a look and see if any pre built amplifier boards will do what you want.

Ok, i guess i am going to have to learn about amplifiers, but most sites leave me scratching my head. Are there any really basic websites for learning this sort of stuff?

As for the application it is measuring the voltage drop generated by a shunt. So in my case, it does need to be as accurate as possible but it does not need to update fast, as long as it doesn't take longer than a second to do so.

This is a simple but comprehensive introduction.

Some of the external links from that site are good as well.

http://focus.ti.com/lit/an/slod006b/slod006b.pdf

It has a wealth of information. It's a lot of information though and will take time to digest.