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What is Resistor
What is resistor and resistor calculations.
What is resistor
Ohm's law
Resistors in parallel
Resistors in series
Dimensions and material affects
Resistor image
Resistor symbols
Resistor color code
Resistor types
What is resistor
Resistor is an electrical component that reduces the electric current.
The resistor's ability to reduce the current is called resistance and is measured in units of ohms
(symbol: ).
If we make an analogy to water flow through pipes, the resistor is a thin pipe that reduces the
water flow.
Ohm's law
The resistor's current I in amps (A) is equal to the resistor's voltage V in volts (V)
divided by the resistance R in ohms ():

The resistor's power consumption P in watts (W) is equal to the resistor's current I in amps (A)
times the resistor's voltage V in volts (V):
P = I V

The resistor's power consumption P in watts (W) is equal to the square value of the resistor's
current I in amps (A)
times the resistor's resistance R in ohms ():
P = I
2
R
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The resistor's power consumption P in watts (W) is equal to the square value of the resistor's
voltage V in volts (V)
divided by the resistor's resistance R in ohms ():
P = V
2
/ R
Resistors in parallel
The total equivalent resistance of resistors in parallel R
Total
is given by:

So when you add resistors in parallel, the total resistance is decreased.
Resistors in series
The total equivalent resistance of resistors in series R
total
is the sum of the resistance values:
R
total
= R
1
+ R
2
+ R
3
+...

So when you add resistors in series, the total resistance is increased.
Dimensions and material affects
The resistance R in ohms () of a resistor is equal to the resistivity in ohm-meters (m) times
the resistor's length l in meters (m) divided by the resistor's cross sectional area A in square
meters (m
2
):
Resistor image
Resistor symbols
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Resistor (IEEE)
Resistor reduces the current flow.
Resistor (IEC)
Potentiometer (IEEE)
Adjustable resistor - has 3 terminals.
Potentiometer (IEC)
Variable Resistor / Rheostat
(IEEE)
Adjustable resistor - has 2 terminals.
Variable Resistor / Rheostat
(IEC)
Trimmer Resistor Presest resistor
Thermistor
Thermal resistor - change resistance
when temperature changes
Photoresistor / Light
dependent resistor (LDR)
Changes resistance according to light
Resistor color code
The resistance of the resistor and its tolerance are marked on the resistor with color code bands
that denotes the resistance value.
There are 3 types of color codes:
4 bands: digit, digit , multiplier, tolerance.
5 bands: digit, digit, digit , multiplier, tolerance.
6 bands: digit, digit, digit , multiplier, tolerance, temperature coefficient.
Color codes table

1st
Digit

2nd
Digit

3rd
Digit
Multiplier Tolerance
Temperature
Coefficient
4bands

1

2



3

4


5bands 1 2 3 4 5
6bands 1 2 3 4 5 6
Black 0 0 0
10
0

Brown 1 1 1
10
1
1% 100 ppm/K
Red 2 2 2
10
2
2% 50 ppm/K
Orange 3 3 3
10
3
15 ppm/K
Yellow 4 4 4
10
4
25 ppm/K
Green 5 5 5
10
5
0.5%
Blue 6 6 6
10
6
0.25% 10 ppm/K
Violet 7 7 7
10
7
0.1% 5 ppm/K
Grey 8 8 8
10
8
0.05%
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White 9 9 9
10
9

Silver
10
-2
10%
Gold
10
-1
5%
None 20%

Resistance calculation of 4 bands resistor
R = (10digit
1
+digit
2
)multiplier
Resistance calculation of 5 or 6 bands resistor
R = (100digit
1
+10digit
2
+digit
3
)multiplier
Resistor types
Variable resistor Variable resistor has an adjustable resistance (2 terminals)
Potentiometer Potentiometer has an adjustable resistance (3 terminals)
Photo-resistor Reduces resistance when exposed to light
Power resistor Power resistor is used for high power circuits and has large dimensions.
Surface mount
(SMT/SMD)
resistor
SMT/SMD resistors have small dimensions. The resistors are surface
mounted on the printed circuit board (PCB), this method is fast and
requires small board area.
Resistor network
Resistor network is a chip that contains several resistors with similar or
different values.
Carbon resistor
Chip resistor
Metal-oxide
resistor

Ceramic resistor

Pull-up resistor
In digital circuits, pull-up resistor is a regular resistor that is connected to the high voltage supply
(e.g +5V or +12V) and sets the input or output level of a device to '1'.
The pull-up resistor set the level to '1' when the input / output is disconnected. When the input /
output is connected, the level is determined by the device and overrides the pull-up resistor.
Pull-down resistor
In digital circuits, pull-down resistor is a regular resistor that is connected to the ground (0V) and
sets the input or output level of a device to ' 0 '.
The pull-down resistor set the level to ' 0 ' when the input / output is disconnected. When the
input / output is connected, the level is determined by the device and overrides the pull-down
resistor.

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Electrical resistance

See also
Electrical resistance
Resistor symbols
Ohm
Ohm's law
Capacitor
Inductor
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