transistor

/træn'sistə/

Thân thiện

A scientist examines a transistor under a magnifying glass.

Definition

Noun: 1. A small electronic device made of semiconductor material (such as silicon or germanium) that can amplify electrical signals or act as a switch. It is a fundamental component in modern electronics, used to control the flow of electrical current. Transistors replaced larger, less efficient vacuum tubes. 2. (Informal, dated) A transistor radio: A portable radio receiver that uses transistors instead of vacuum tubes, making it smaller and more efficient.

Examples of Usage

• As an electronic component:
  • The computer's processor contains billions of microscopic transistors.
  • The amplifier circuit uses several transistors to boost the audio signal.
  • A key invention of the 20th century, the transistor revolutionized electronics.
• Referring to a radio (dated/informal):
  • In the 1960s, teenagers would listen to music on their portable transistors.

Advanced Usage

• "The transistor was invented in 1947": This refers to the historical invention of the device by scientists at Bell Labs.
• "Field-effect transistor (FET)" / "Bipolar junction transistor (BJT)": These are specific technical types of transistors, each with different operating principles.
• "Transistor count": A term used in computing to describe the number of transistors in an integrated circuit (like a CPU), often used as a rough indicator of its processing power.

Variants and Related Words

• Transistorize (verb): To equip (a device or circuit) with transistors.
  • Early calculators were transistorized before being fully integrated.
• Semiconductor (noun): The class of materials (like silicon) from which transistors are made, with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator.
• Integrated Circuit (IC) / Microchip (noun): A complex electronic circuit built on a small chip of semiconductor material, containing many interconnected transistors.

Synonyms

• Solid-state device (This is a broader category that includes transistors, defined by their use of solid semiconductor materials as opposed to vacuum tubes or mechanical parts).
• Amplifier / Switch (These describe the of a transistor, not the device itself).

Related Phrases

• Transistor radio: The specific portable device.
• Transistor gain: A technical parameter measuring a transistor's amplification capability.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a semiconductor device capable of amplification

Từ đồng nghĩa

• junction transistor
• electronic transistor