EISLE KEITH R.

TAPIA
BSED IV-C PHYSCI

RESISTOR COLOR CODING ACTIVITY:

“I SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS”

Introduction

Resistor Color Coding uses colored bands to easily identify a resistors resistive value and
its percentage tolerance.

There are many different types of resistor available which can be used in both electrical
and electronic circuits to control the flow of the current or to produce a voltage drop in many
different ways. But in order to do this the actual resistor needs to have some form of “resistive”
or “resistance” value. Resistors are available in a range of different resistance values from
fractions of an Ohm to millions of Ohms.

Materials: Ten 4-band Resistors with different values Resistor Color Code Chart
Long Bond Paper Calculator
Analog and Digital Multitester Tape
Activity Sheet Ballpen

Teacher’s Guide:

 Show students a chart of resistor color code. Discuss how to read the resistor codes.
 Use the chart to discuss how to determine the resistance and tolerance for resistors. The
chart can also be used to specify the color of the bands when the values are known.
 Divide the class into four groups and provide each group with the materials.
 Have each student to paste/tape the ten (10) resistors into the long bond paper.
 Let the students identify the following in each resistors that they have pasted:
a) Color Bands
b) Coded Value
c) Upper Tolerance Value
d) Lower Tolerance Value
e) Tolerance Range
 Provide each group an Analog and Digital Multimeters. Demostrate how to use them.
 Tell the students to measure their resistors using the Analog and Digital Multimeters and
Record Them.
 Data Analysis

Table 1.
Color Coded Value Upper Lower Tolerance Analog Digital
Bands Tolerance Tolerance Range(Ω) Multitester Multitester
Value(Ω) Value(Ω) (KΩ)
Brown, 12 x 103 Ω ±5% 12, 600 11,400 11,400 – 12,600 11 x 1 K 12.06
Red,
Orange,
Gold
Brown, 13 x 103 Ω±5% 13,650 12,350 12,350 - 13,650 12 x 1 K 13.01
Orange,
Orange,
Gold
Orange, 30 x 102 Ω±5% 3,150 2,850 2,850 – 3,150 28 x 100 2.92
Black, Red,
Gold
Brown, 10 x 103 Ω±5% 10,500 9,500 9,500 – 10,500 8x1K 9.72
Black,
Orange,
Gold
Brown, 11 x 103 Ω±5% 11,550 10,450 10,450 – 11,550 10 x 1 K 10.96
Brown,
Orange,
Gold
Brown, 10 x 102 Ω±5% 1050 950 950 - 1050
Black, Red,
Gold
Red, Black, 20 x 102 Ω±5% 2,100 1,900 1,900 – 2,100 18 x 100 1.95
Red, Gold
Red, Red, 22 x 103 Ω±5% 23, 100 20,900 20,900 – 23,100 20 x 1 K 21.96
Orange,
Gold
Green, 50 x 102 Ω±5% 5,250 4,750 4,750 – 5,250 46 x 100 4.84
Black, Red,
Gold
Blue, 60 x 102 Ω±5% 6,800 5,700 5,700 – 6,800 55 x 100 5.94
Black, Red,
Gold
Guide Questions:

1. Referring to Table 1, are the measured resistance of a specific resistor close to each other
when using different measuring devices? Why or why not?


2. From the above table, which resistor obtained the greatest resistance value when using
the 3 different measuring devices? How about the lowest resistance value? Why do you
say so?
 The color banded Red, Red, Orange, Gold resistor obtained the greatest value
when using the 3 different measuring devices because it has 20,900 ohms to
23,100 ohms tolerance range; 20 x 1 K in Analog Multitester; and 21.96 K ohms
in Digital Multitester.
 The color banded Brown, Black, Red, Gold resistor obtained the lowest resistance
value because it has 950 ohms – 1,050 ohms tolerance range.

3. How do you know which end of the resistor to start reading from when using a resistor
color code chart to measure resistance? Explain.
 The resistor color code markings are always read one band at a time starting from
the left to the right, with the larger width tolerance bond oriented to the right side
indicating its tolerance. By matching the color of the first band with its associated
number in the digit column of the color chart below the first digit is idenitified
and this represents the first digit of the resistance value.
4. What do you think is/are the reason/s why did they use color bands as codes for
resistance value in resistors?
 Color bands were used because it is easily to see on the resistors.

5. Based from this activity, which of the three measuring devices is the best for you to use
to measure resistance? Why?
 The Digital Multitester is the best for me because it is easy to manipulate than the
Analog Multitester and when using the color code is you need to compute while
the Digital is that you’ll just read the measurement that appeared on the screen.
GENERALIZATION:

 In measuring resistance, there are three ways: The Analog Multitester, Digital
Multitester and using the Color Code Chart. Color bands were used because it is
easily to see on the resistors. The Digital Multitester is the best for me because it
is easy to manipulate than the Analog Multitester and when using the color code
is you need to compute while the Digital is that you’ll just read the measurement
that appeared on the screen.