Electronics: First StepsResistors

(One point)

Prerequisites None Acknowledgement This monograph was written by Shawn Carlson and made possible by a generous donation from Mark Gelfand.

This monograph is copyrighted by LABRats. All rights reserved. 2005 1

Electronics: First StepsResistors

(One point)

Welcome to the wonderful world of Resistors! If you'd like to do cool things with electronics then you've got to know a little about resistors. Just try to find a circuit that doesn't have one! By the time you've earned this Science Skill Award, you'll know everything you need to use resistors in real electronic circuits. You will be able to Identify a resistor on sight Explain what a resistor does Recognize the symbol for a resistor on a circuit diagram Determine the value of any resistor Correctly install a resistor into a solderless breadboard

Once you've mastered these skills you'll be able to use resistors in any circuit you care to build. Moreover, you'll be one important step closer to designing your own circuits to do all sorts of cool things. And that will prepare you to Build all kinds of electronic circuits, sensors and gadgets. What You Need 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Several resistors of different resistance A digital multimeter A solderless breadboard Wire cutters Pliers (not necessary, but helpful)

Your Synergy is likely to already have all of these items. Ask your Group Leader to help you borrow them. You can also secure all of these items from Radio Shack, or any well-stocked electronics store.

Background
What is a Resistor?
Key Point: Resistors act to constrict the flow of current in a circuit. If a wire is a pipe along which current flows like water, then a resistor is like a short section of narrow pipe that restricts the flow. Of course, resistors don't actually look like that. Most look like this; small cylinders with four colored stripes. The colors tell how "resistive" the resistor is, that is, how well it restricts a current. You'll learn how to read these colors later. Why would you ever want to choke off the flow of current? You'll learn that when you take on Resistors in Series, Resistors in Parallel, and Ohm's Law.

Resistors on a Circuit Diagram

Here's the symbol for a resistor. In practice, the letter 'R' is usually replaced by a number that tells just how resistive the resistor needs to be.

Unit of ResistanceThe Ohm

Resistance is measured in a special unit called the "ohm", represented by the Greek letter (Omega). An ohm is a small unit. Most resistors have a resistance between 100 and 10,000,000 .

Kilo and Mega

To avoid having to write all those zeros all the time scientists invented a simple shorthand. Key Point: One thousand is represented by the letter 'K' which stands for 'kilo', the Greek word for thousand. One million is represented by the letter 'M' for the Greek "mega" which means "million." Example: A resistance 360,000 ohms could be written as 360K or 0.36M . (If you've seen scientific notation before this is really simple. After all, 0.36 x 106 is the same as 360 x 103, right?) How might you write a resistance of 47,000 ohms? Watch Out! The unit "K " is pronounced "kilohms", not "kilo ohms" as you might expect. Likewise, M is pronounced "megohms", not "mega ohms."

Practice
Measuring Resistance
The simplest way for a beginner to determine a resistor's value is to use a DMM (digital multimeter) to measure it. First, turn the selector dial to the range. Higher-end models often have just one position that covers all ranges. Without anything connected between the leads the display will give an out-of-range indication (here, a -1) to show that the resistance is too large to measure. With nothing between the inputs, the meter is measuring the resistance of the air between them, which is huge. Second, connect the leads of the resistor to the sockets labeled 'COM'
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and ' ' as shown in the photo. [PHOTO HERE] The numbers 200, 2K, 20K etc. indicate the highest value that the meter will read when the selector is in that position. With the selector as pictured, any resistor greater than 200 would produce the out-ofrange display. So if you get the out-of-range indication, just try the next setting. This meter can't read any resistor with a resistance greater than 2M . Do you see why?

Installing a Resistor Into a Solderless Breadboard

Installing a resistor into a solderless breadboard couldn't be simpler. Just give the lead wires a sharp right-angle bend (a pair of pliers works much better than your fingers) and insert them wherever they have to go. Tip: Overlay the resistor on the circuit board to measure the gap it has to span. Often, the leads are long enough to bridge the gap without having the use an additional connection wire. [PHOTO] Tip: In general, its a bad practice to let resistors stand up high above the breadboard as shown here. [PHOTO] Often, the exposed wires end up touching something they arent suppose to. That can cause your circuit not to work properly, or it might even damage something on the breadboard. Rather, its a good idea to trim the leads using your wire cutters so that the resistor can be pushed flush into the breadboard as shown. [PHOTO] This also gives the finished circuit a much more professional look.

Summary 1) Resistors restrict the flow of current in a circuit much like a short length narrow tubing restricts the flow of water in a pipe. 2) Resistance is measured in units of ohms, symbolized by the Greek letter Omega ( ) 3) The ohm is a small unit. Most resistors range in value from about 100 to 10,000,000 . 4) 1,000 in called a kilohm. 1,000,000 is a Megohm. It is often convenient to represent resistors in units of kilohms and megohms.
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5) To convert Megohms to Kilohms just multiply by 1000. To convert Kilohms to Megohms, divide by 1000. 6) Most Digital Multimeters can measure resistance directly. 7) You should be able to recognize a resistor on sight. 8) You should be able to identify all the resistors on a circuit diagram. (It's easy. Just look for the short "saw-tooth" lines.)

Electronics: First StepsResistors Test Questions

Knowledge Questions Paper Test (Select two) Convert 0.067 M Answer: 67 K to K

Convert 22 M to K Answer 2,200 K Convert 733K to M Answer: 0.0733 M Convert 3.3K to Answer: 3,300 Oral Exam (Select three) Question: What does a resistor do in a circuit? Answer: It restricts the flow of current. Question: What is the basic unit of resistance called? Answer: The ohm Question: What do the letters 'K' and 'M' stand for and what do they mean? Answer: K stands for kilo, which means one thousand. M stands for Mega, which stands for one million. Question: Is a circuit likely to call for a resistor with a value of 1 ? Answer: No. Most range between 10 and 10M . Question: What is another name for one million ohms? Answer: One megohms (NOT mega ohm) Question: What is another name for one thousand ohms? Answer: One kilohm (NOT kilo ohm)
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Skills Test (Do all) Ask the Labrat to select the resistors out of a collection of electronic components. Ask the Labrat to use a Digital Multimeter to find the resistance of three resistors that you provide. Have the Labrat install a new resistor flush into a solderless breadboard into two holes that you designate. Present the Labrat with a circuit diagram and ask the member to identify all of the resistors and their values.