In the resistor color code example Brown-Black-Red-Gold, what does the Gold band indicate?

In the resistor color code example Brown-Black-Red-Gold, what does the Gold band indicate?

• A. Temperature coefficient
• B. Multiplier
• C. First digit
• D. Tolerance

Answer: (D)

Gold on a four-band resistor is the tolerance band. It tells you how much the actual resistance can vary from the stated value due to manufacturing tolerances. In this example, the first two bands give the digits 1 and 0, the third band (red) is the multiplier ×100, so the nominal resistance is 1,000 ohms. The gold tolerance means the actual resistance could be ±5% of that value, i.e., between 950 Ω and 1050 Ω. The multiplier is the third band, and a temperature coefficient (if present) would be on a separate band, not the gold you’re seeing here.

Gold on a four-band resistor is the tolerance band. It tells you how much the actual resistance can vary from the stated value due to manufacturing tolerances. In this example, the first two bands give the digits 1 and 0, the third band (red) is the multiplier ×100, so the nominal resistance is 1,000 ohms. The gold tolerance means the actual resistance could be ±5% of that value, i.e., between 950 Ω and 1050 Ω. The multiplier is the third band, and a temperature coefficient (if present) would be on a separate band, not the gold you’re seeing here.