Fractional and even Ohm resistors-
Once, in a package from Russia, with some items totally not related to this group discussion, the seller included 2 boxes of 1/2% 200 ohm resistors with a note of thanks for the purchase. Each box contained several cardboard carriers with 25 resistors lined up in idividual precise slots.
At that time I checked them with the bench Simpson 260 and sure enough they were 200 Ohms. Checked several and they were all 200 Ohms. On the Simpson VOM all tested were remarkably the same, so next they were checked on the bench Simpson 463, a 3 1/2 digit .1% (I think) digital meter. There they were again, 200.0.
That's when I decided to put them away for a future project, aside from the usual resistor stash (I almost said TRASH!).
Reading this thread today prompted a second look at them, this time with updated equipment
Each sample tested read between 200.2 and 200.7 Ohms. A random sample of 10 tied in parallel read 20.0529. Interesting.
Next step was to figure out what combinations 10 or 20 of those could created if hooked together with clip leads, in various clusters of series/ parallel groups.
Simple calculated that from 1 to 10 in parallel would yield 10 different resistances, same # for series. So 20 different combinations divided over 2 groups of 10 resistors.
Next I tackled the possible combinations that utilized one set of series plus one set of parallel possibilities, in series. This yielded 100 combinations
I didn't even begin the possible combinations in parallel.
There are some very interesting numbers on that list, which include 22.22222, 33.33333, 66.66666 266.66666 along with many the normal whole numbers starting at 10.
This is where my research stalled (read: mind=boggled) and decided to ask the computer experts here if they can do a spreadsheet that would calculate all the possibilities of 20 ea. 200 Ohm resistors.
I can envision two smallish boards with two rows of 10 terminal each, one row on each side and the resistors soldered across the terminals ladder style or maybe criss-crossed so they would all be in series already.
Clip leads to do the dirty work, and a spread sheet for "programming" information.
If this or some similar would be of interest to the traveling calibration folks, I will donate 100 resistors to the cause, enough for 5 pairs.
George Dowell