transistors

"Gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the invention of the transistor. Additional features include a table of contents, a Fast Facts spread, critical-thinking questions, primary source quotes and accompanying source notes, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research"--Amazon.com.

Did you know that electric current can be controlled? Have you ever wondered how that might be done? Transistors can act as amplifiers, taking in a small current and sending out a larger one, or as switches, turning electric current on and off. But how do these different transistors work? How are they used in our electronic devices? Discover the history of how transistors were developed, explore how different types of transistors can play different roles in various types of electronics, and learn where transistors may be taking technology in the future!.

Tells the story of the team of men, including John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley, who were responsible for the invention of the transistor at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey in 1947, and shared the 1956 Nobel Prize for their work.

"Modern life makes extensive use of electronics. On a daily basis, we use smartphones, computers, and TVs in the home and robots in industry and commerce. This title outlines the development of electronics, from early vacuum tubes to today’s microchips. It explains how semiconductors work at the atomic level and how they are made into solid-state devices essential for the Internet and other applications. A biographical chapter on J. J. Thomson, who discovered the electron (the key to electronics), rounds out the text. Science projects readers can try at home illustrate principles of physics" -- Provided by publisher.

Explains how transistors work to form integrated circuits that run computers and complex communications systems and discusses the many uses of transistors in the past, present, and future.