Resisters are color-coded with markings or bands that allow you to quickly identify resistance values and tolerance. Using a color chart table will allow you to determine the value of any common four-band resistor. Memorizing this color chart will enable you to become proficient at quickly decoding and using resistors. In a four-band resistor, the first two bands represent the digits or significant figures. The third band indicates the multiplier and the fourth band indicates the tolerance. You read resistor bands beginning with the end that has the most bands. A space between the third and fourth bands also indicates the reading direction. The first band is red, so the first digit value is two. The second band is violet, so digit two is seven. The third band is yellow, so we multiply the first two numbers by 10 to the fourth or 10,000. Thus, the value of this resistor is 270 kilo ohms with a tolerance of plus or minus 5%. In this example, the first band is orange, so the first digit is three. The second band is white, so digit two is nine. The third band is silver, so we multiply the first two numbers by 10 to the negative second power or 0.01. In this instance, we would take the 39 and move the decimal point two places to the left, resulting in a value of 0.39 ohms. Thus, the value of this resistor is 0.39 ohms with a tolerance of plus or minus 10%. Now, let's determine what the bands would be on a 15 kilo ohm resistor. Since the first digit is one, the first band would need to be brown. The second digit is five, so the band color would need to be green. The resistor value is 15,000 ohms, so we need to add three zeroes to 15. Three zeroes is a thousand, so we need to have a multiplier of 10 to the third. Thus, the third band would need to be orange. The last band would need to be silver to indicate that the resistor has a tolerance of plus or minus 10%.