Resistor Mnemonics? - Lois & Clark Fanfic Message Boards

I'm collecting mnemonics for the resistor color code for the class I'm TAing this semester. Here are a few I've found so far:

* Beloved Brethren, Remember Our Yoke -- God Brings Victory God's Way
* Big Boys Race Our Young Girls, But Violet Generally Wins
* Badly Burnt Resistors On Your Ground Bus Void General Warranties

There is, of course, the old and highly non-PC classic which I shall spare you.

Et pour les francophones parmi nous,
* Ne Mangez Rien Ou Jeuner, Voilà Bien Votre Grande Betise

What else do people use? Or the highly talented word-artists here can come up with something else to help remember Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White....

Sorry, the one I learned was the one you won't print. I see what political correctness has done to science

Artemis

oh I remember learning one of these in High school for the colour sequence, but I can't remember it now, sorry

I was never one to bother with mnemonics, I figured if you're going to the trouble of remembering the mnemonic, why don't you just remember the correct information in the first place.

I've never had to learn it (I'm a mech. e. by preference), but a quick web search turned up this page , which had these to offer (extraneous or offensive content removed):

Quote

Color codes resistors:

From: "Aaron Jerome"

It is inappropriate to teach rude and offensive nmemonics to high school
students. Instead, as a class we came up with this one for the color bands
on resistors. The students found it to be very memorable.

"Billy Brown ran over (a) yodeling goat because Violet's granny was
grumpy."

From: Quentin Grady

The clean variation: Bad Betty runs over your garden but Violet Gray
won't.

From: Lawrence R Glickman

Big boys race our young girls, but violet generally wins

( color code for resistors ) Black brown red yellow blue violet, and then
the tolerance ( silver or gold )

From: Dave Woodman

"Billy Brown Revives On Your Gin, But Values Good Whisky."

From: Fritz Lowrey

Bad Beer Rots Our Young Guts, But Vodka Goes Well

From: Mike Nalbone

Blackberry Brandy Rots Our Young Guts But Vodka Goes Well.

From: Grant Edwards

Better Be Ready, Or Your Great Big Venture Goes West.
(goes west = fails, dies)

From: M. Knell

My eternal favourite (and the one that nobody's mentioned yet):

Black Beetles Running On Your Garden Bring Very Good Weather

From: Suzanne Sarlette/Gerald Pearson

Here's a G rated British mnemonic for the resistor color code:

Bye bye Rosie, off you go, Bristol via Great Western.

From: Thomas Quinot

French version : Ne Mangez Rien Ou Jeunez, Voila Bien Votre Grande Betise.

From: Quentin Grady

I prefer rhymes for individual colours

black hero ... zero brown bun ... one red shoe ... two. orange tree ...
three yellow door ... four

(picture + rhyme) is equivalent to having random access.

From: Dilip

The one I know has some extra words in it to make it a sentence.

It goes like...
B. B. ROY of Great Britain has a Very Good Wife.

From: David Montag

Beloved Brethren Remember Our Yoke God Brings Victory God's Way Black

Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White

"Bowling Balls Roll Over Your Grandpa But Victim Gets Well "

"Busy boys rest on Yale ground, but Vassar girls work."

"Batman Bests Robin On Yonder Gotham Bridge;
Very Good, Will Get Superman Next!"

From: Mike Hammerschlag?

came up with this for a contest:

"Badly burnt resistors on your ground bus void general warrantee".

From: Steven Minichiello

Black Boys Race Our Young Gents, But Victor Generally Wins.

Of course, the other possibility is to learn ROY G BIV (the colors of the rainbow), pull out indigo, and stick "Black, Brown, ... Grey, White" on the ends. <shrug> It's basically just the visible spectrum.

Paul

I remember in High School, we used the following mnemonic...

B B ROY goes to Great Britain to find a Very Good Wife

I'm a BME with a EE sequence, but surprisingly, I never learned any mneumonic for the resistor stripe values. I always looked at a chart :p . I am curious to know the un PC one, though.

- Laura

Laura, the un-PC one is among the ones on the page I linked to above. If you want to see it, you can scroll around there. (Text search for "boys" should bring it up quickly enough.)

Paul