There is one mistake that many people make.

I also did it in the beginning.

Until you have sorted this out, you will have a hard time understanding circuits.

Every week I get a comment on an article or an email with a question from someone who is making this mistake.

It’s about the resistor:

The resistor “resists” current. Which means it reduces the current. So many beginners think:

"Aha, there’s a resistor in the circuit, that must mean the current is lower after the resistor."

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​But that’s NOT the case.

This thinking is causing a lot of confusion about the resistor being in front of or after the LED for example.

Here’s the deal:

The current is the same before and after the resistor.

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The resistor reduces the current, but not in a “in front of and after the resistor” type-of-way.

Instead, a circuit with a resistor will have less current flowing than a circuit without the resistor.

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Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com

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• ​Getting Started With Electronics: My easy-to-understand eBook made especially for beginners. With step-by-step instructions, it makes starting with electronics a breeze. Perfect for absolute beginners.
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