Our Friend the Resistor
(How to Read a Resistor Color Code)
1 -- Digit 1 (the color band that's closest to an end)
2 -- Digit 2
3 -- Multiplier (what you multiply the first two digits by)
4 -- Precision of Resistor (not always present)
To determine the value of a resistor, multiply the value of Digits 1
& 2 by the Multiplier. (The precision of the resistor is not relevant
for this calculation.)
For example
- 10 = 10 x 1
- 100 = 10 x 10
- 1 K = 10 x 100
- 1 M = 10 x 100,000
Color Codes
For each of the first two bands:
- Black = 0
- Brown = 1
- Red = 2
- Orange = 3
- Yellow = 4
- Green = 5
- Blue = 6
- Purple = 7
- Gray = 8
- White = 9
For the multiplier band:
- Black = 1
- Brown = 10
- Red = 100
- Orange = 1,000
- Yellow = 10,000
- Green = 100,000
- Blue = 1,000,000
- Gray = 1/100
- Gold = 1/10
Examples
(1 & 2) x Multiplier:
- 25 = Red-Green-Black
- 250 = Red-Green-Brown
- 2,500 (2.5K) = Red-Green-Red
- 1,200,000 (1.2M) = Brown-
Red-Green
- Tim Cannon's Homepage
- Department of Psychology
- Neuroscience Program
- University of Scranton