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7 Definitions

Transistor

For Transistor we have terms and definitions in 7 topics. The topics are Audio Technology, Automotive, Computer Technology, Explosives, Music Technology, Technology and Transistors.



Transistor (Audio Technology)

The basic component of most amplifiers. A glob of magic stuff (semiconducting solid-state material) that amplifies electrical current. From smaller than a pin head up to an Oreo cookie in size (transistor case included). Reviled by some high-end types as having a harsh inhuman sound.


Transistor (Automotive)

Tiny electronic component that functions as a switch, but has no moving parts.


Transistor (Computer Technology)

An electronic device that acts like an electrically activated switch but has no moving parts so it can switch millions of times per second.


Transistor (Explosives)

Transistor, an electronic device used as a voltage and current amplifier, consisting of semiconductor materials that share common physical boundaries. The material most commonly used is silicon into which impurities have been introduced. In n-type semiconductors there is an excess of free electrons, or negative charges, whereas in p-type semiconductors there is a deficiency of electrons and therefore an excess of positive charges. Transistors are used in many applications, including radio receivers, electronic computers, and automatic control instrumentation (e.g., in spaceflight and guided missiles). Since the invention (announced in 1948) of the transistor by the American physicists John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, and William Shockley, many types have been designed. The n-p-n junction transistor consists of two n-type semiconductors separated by a thin layer of p-type semiconductor; the three segments are called emitter, base, and collector, respectively, and are usually sealed in glass, with a wire extending from each segment to the outside, where it is connected to an electric circuit. The transistor action is such that if the electric potentials on the segments are properly determined, a small current between the emitter and base connections results in a large current between the emitter and collector connections, thus producing current and amplification. The p-n-p junction transistor, consisting of a thin layer of n-type semiconductor lying between two p-type semiconductors, works in the same manner, except that all polarities are reversed. Also Integrated Circuits; Microelectronics.


Transistor (Music Technology)

The foundation of modern electronics. The transistor (c/f "transresistance") was invented and developed by John Bardeen, Willian Hauser Brittain and William Shockley in the late 1940's at Bell Labs (the first "point contact" tranny was patented by Bardeen and Brittain in 1947).
It has three terminals, and is basically a switching device, which can also be used as an amplifier. It can alternate between two states by using it's ability to act as either a conductor (on), or an insulator (off). When a positive current is applied, then it will be conductive, when a negative current is applied, it will be a non-conductive insulator.
Transistors in Analogue circuits and transistors in digital circuits ...
In analogue circuits (eg audio amplifiers, radios etc) the transistor is used primarily as a device for amplification, and in digital circuits (eg microprocessors, chips etc) they are used primarily as switching devices, switching between being a conductor and an insulator.


Transistor (Technology)

Short for transfer resistor. A solid-state circuit component, usually with three leads, in which a voltage or a current controls the flow of another current. The transistor can serve many functions, including those of amplifier, switch, and oscillator, and is a fundamental component of almost all modern electronics. See also base (definition 3), FET, NPN transistor, PNP transistor.


Transistor (Transistors)

Transistors are tiny electrical devices that can be found in everything from radios to robots. They have two key properties: 1) they can amplify an electrical signal and 2) they can switch on and off, letting current through or blocking it as necessary.




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