To find out the resistance value of a resistor, you use the colored bands. There are “resistor color code calculators” online where you enter the band colors and it tells you the resistance.

One such website:

http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/resistorcalculator.php

If you try to enter the colored bands backwards, then it either won’t work or it will tell you that you have entered them backwards.

Also, remember that we only gave you a few different resistors in the course lab kit, so if you are getting a resistance value other than that then there might be some mistake – double check that you got the colors right.