BBROYGBVGWGSN ("buh-bro, yug-buv, gwugsen" as a mnemonic) *FIRST THREE BANDS* Black = 0 Brown = 1 Red = 2 Orange = 3 Yellow = 4 Green = 5 Blue = 6 Violet = 7 Gray = 8 White = 9 Gold Silver No color *FOURTH BAND (or fifth band if it's a 5-striped resistor)* _The color's number below is used as the multiplier of the first 3 (or 4) bands_ Black = 1 (recall that the 0 used above gives 10^0 = 1) Brown = 10 (the 1 used above gives 10^1 = 10) Red = 100 (the 2 used above gives 10^2 = 100 Orange = 1000 (etc) Yellow = 10,000 Green = 100,000 Blue = 1,000,000 Violet = 10,000,000 Gray = (not used) White = (not used) Gold = 0.1 Silver = 0.01 No color = (not used) Just remember the numbers in the first list - example: the Black - is zero (0), and is used as zero in the first 3 (or 4) bands, and the number from the first list is used as the exponent of 10 for the 4th (or 5th) band Some resistors have 4 stripes. Some have 5. "Buh-bro, yug-buv, gwug-sen" and "the first B is a zero" THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO REMEMBER. This mnemonic comes in handy