transistor
/træn'sistə/
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.
Noun
-
a semiconductor device capable of amplification
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