Which 4-band combination yields 16 Ω?

• A. 1600 Ω ±5%
• B. 160 Ω ±5%
• C. 1.6 Ω ±5%
• D. 16 Ω ±5%

Answer: (D)

Reading a four-band resistor comes down to two digits, a multiplier, and a tolerance. The first two bands give the significant digits, the third band tells you how to multiply those digits by a power of ten, and the fourth band indicates tolerance (how much the actual resistance can vary).

To get 16 Ω, the two digits must be 1 and 6, and you want no change from the multiplier, so the third band must represent ×1. The fourth band typically indicates ±5% tolerance, which is common for gold. Put together, 1, 6, ×1, with ±5% tolerance yields 16 Ω ±5%.

The other values come from using different multipliers: a multiplier of ×10 would give 160 Ω, ×100 would give 1600 Ω, and ×0.1 would give 1.6 Ω, all with the same tolerance.