56K

A 56K-ohm 5% resistor

Wire ended resistors, as used in electronics, are generally colour-coded with their resistance value. The value shown has always been my favourite with its green, blue, orange and gold bands.  You figure the resistance value using the table below in which the colours are arranged in rainbow order with a little license either end.

I have never understood folk that need a mnemonic to remember the rainbow colour - Richard of York, etc. Anyone who has messed with mixing colour will surely know the order.

Why give a lesson in colour codes? Because it is another example of my love for colour. I seriously think that the fact that resistors have colour bands was majorly contributory to my earliest interest in electronics.  That together with "small is beautiful" - hence the name I trade under "MICROLITE".

Whilst on the subject what other trade is there that deals in such a range of material sizes?  Resistors are commonly available and commonly used in values from 0.001 to 10,000,000 Ohms. Capacitors are commonly available and used in values covering an even wider range from 0.000,000,000,0005 to 100 Farad. I maintain a stock of thousands of values within these ranges, not to mention inductors and semiconductors.

Whereas in my son-in-law's wood shop his smallest timber dimension might be say 0.001m (1mm) and the largest dimension might be 10m, a range that is hardly comparable!