Data Sheet


EXPERIMENT 15
Pockets of Resistance
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Follow the path of the current:
Depending on the setting of the
switch, it will flow directly to the
LED or will have to pass through
the resistor — in which case the
LED becomes noticeably darker.
More or less
resistance
What effect does a resistor have on a
circuit? You can easily find out by using
the selector switch.
HERE’S HOW
Try both settings of the selector switch.
Watch how the brightness of the LED
changes.
In addition to the .-k resistor, try
testing the other resistors in the kit as
well.
RESISTORS IN
VARIOUS SIZES
Resistors are components that
posses a certain electrical
resistance value. Usually, they
look like little cylinders with
two terminal wires. The ones
in the kit are integrated into
plastic housings.
Because resistors play an
important role in electronics,
they come in lots of different
magnitudes. Their magnitude,
or value, is indicated in “ohms”
(symbolized as “”). The
higher the value, the greater
the resistance, and the harder
it is for current to pass through
it. A value of one “kilohm”
(k) equals , ohms, while
one “megohm” (M) equals 
million ohms. A resistor with
“. k” written on it, in other
words, has a value of ,
ohms, while the .-M one
has a value of ,,
ohms.
9 Volt
470