How many watt values are there for resisters?

Answer 1

Some of the more common values are 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1 and 2 watts. On PC boards the larger resisters are not placed adjacent to the board but connected into the board above the board using standoffs. This is to let air circulate around the resistor to carry away the heat generated by the resistor. The physical size of the resistor reflects the resistors ability to dissipate the heat which builds up inside the resistor. As the wattage goes up so does the physical size of the resistor. Resistors that dissipate very large amounts of power (watts) are usually wire-wound resistors. Wire-wound resistors can be as high as 100 watts.