The fifth color band on a 5% resistor indicates what?

The fifth color band on a resistor typically indicates its tolerance. Tolerance is a measure of how much the actual resistance can vary from the specified value and is crucial for ensuring that the resistor performs as expected in a circuit. Common tolerance values represented by color bands include gold for ±5%, silver for ±10%, and various other colors for differing tolerances.

The notion of a temperature coefficient is relevant to understanding how a resistor's value may change with temperature, but this characteristic is usually not represented by a fifth band on a standard resistor. Failure rate and voltage rating are also not indicated by the color bands on resistors. Each of these parameters has its own specifications but does not fall under the indication of the fifth band.

In summary, for a resistor with five color bands, the fifth band is specifically tied to its tolerance, making it an essential feature in interpreting the resistor's specifications accurately.