>reading Fallout Wiki
>noticed the word "transistor"
>suddenly realised that I don't know what transistor is
I feel so retarded right now. What video should I watch to get an idea of how it works? I also want to learn history of computers in general.
>>47674594
http://amasci.com/amateur/trshort.html for what a transistor is and how it works.
Computerphile youtube channel for history of computing.
>>47674594
switch
>>47674614
An angry 13 y/o detected. Also:
>"sage-bombing" or announcing that you've saged a thread may result in a ban.
Pic related.
Hum smells like /v...Well OP don't worry but a Transistor is the basic building block of almost evety electronics device.Google for moar.
>>47674594
They're like switches that are ON when there's enough voltage across the signal channel
>>47674614
thank you for this wonderful contribution to this thread. OP wasn't talking about a game, he only mentioned a game.
>>47674594
>video
>about how a fucking transistor work
for fuck's sake OP. Read the goddamned wikipedia article.
>>47674594
A transistor is just a switch that controls electric current with electric current
The most important types are BJT transistors that let you switch on and off a large current with a very small one. If you have two BJT transistors you can make a NAND-port, and than you can cascade those to create any logic you'd ever want. I.e. you have your computer.
There are also MOSFET transistors which use a small voltage in the middle of the transistor to get a large voltage between the transistors two terminals.
There's not really much more to it. If you want to understand how it REALLY works physically, you'll need some quite heavy physics (like quantum physics, the band theory of solids etc.)
>>47674594
Isn't that a game on Steam?
It's pretty good and not so expensive.
>>47674778
>The most important types are BJT transistors
lmao
>>47674737
This. Also, don't they teach that in Physics class in high school in America?
>>47674891
Not him but past middle school, physics is optional, and they never really covered electronics in middle and grade school grades, at least at my school
>>47674891
No, most high school physics classes only go through classical mechanics. Not only that, but physics is optional.
>>47674850
They're not used the most anymore, but they are a good first look at transistors. They're very easy to make logic circuits with.
>>47674891
>America
>teach
top lel anon
>>47674594
>Reading about video games
I hope to God that you're studying about the downfall of technology that games will bring if they continue to sell.
>>47674961
And mosfets aren't?
>>47674778
As a CS major, I'm interested in how transistors are used to make NAND gates. That's all I need to conceptually build a complete computer from scratch.
>>47674983
I sure hope everything you do in your life is productive.
Oh wait, you're on fucking 4chan.
>>47674983
>being this upset about a video game
>>47675018
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMOS#Logic
knock yourself out
>>47674891
You gotta pay some extra thousands for that class
Top of the line education system.
kek
>>47675018
>CS major
>not a single basic CE course where they teach that
What kind of shit uni did you go to?
>>47675089
What? Unless you go to a private high school, you don't have to pay anything for classes.
>>47674891
Mine did.
http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm
>>47674950
>>47674960
Physics is optional? That's too bad, man.
In the land of kebab-removal we did electronics in our equivalent of your early middle school, if I remember correctly. At least two years of physics was mandatory in all high schools (except maybe in art schools, but I'm not sure about that).
Our IT courses were a complete disaster, though.
Just a quick question to all you electrical wizards.
Are electrical components still being invented or has the full range of possibilities been invented? By component I mean things such as resistors capacitors transistors etc etc etc. I dont know much about the history of electrical components but seems to me not much has been invented since 1980 that ranks as a component in its own right
>>47675150
memristors
>>47675149
Yup, you absolutely need to pass biology to get a degree at my school but no physics classes at all are needed. Things like this will vary school to school and district to district though
>>47675149
Hmmm yeah well attaching a light bulb to a switch and a battery is hardly living at the edge of the electronic frontier is it
You should feel more retarded that you didn't think to read wikipedia before asking 4chan.
>>47675171
wow i just googled it.
wow that seems incredibly .. incredible
mind blowing infact
>>47674891
Took both AP B and C physics at my school and within the electricity and magnetism units we covered (regarding electrical components) resistors, caps, and inductors. Nothing else.
>>47675150
I'm not an electrical eng. but I can tell you there's plenty of research at universities an so on primary around new materials.
This type of breakthoughs usually come from the discovery of new materials and it's properties.
>>47675028
I'm showing people how their habits will affect the world at large. If it works, I'm saving the world. You're welcome.
>>47675040
I have every right to be upset about something that will destroy technology as we know it.
>>47675150
see
>>47675171
memristors complete the scope of passive basic components. i'd like to see what happens to amplifiers and effects pedals with the development of memristors.
>tfw 300 watts RMS bass amp the size of your palm and your entire effects pedal board now all fits in one pedal powered by one 9v battery and it's all analogue effects, no digital garbage
the future is going to be sweet
>>47675173
Oh, about that, we did almost 0 experiments in our classes. That sucked.
In physics, chemistry and IT you could already see who was going to be working in tech because most of the kids couldn't handle working with just theory and blackboard. Not to mention programming in Pascal without a school computer, lol.
>>47675209
excellent post it has given me something new to research. I havent really been into electronics at all.
I can just about understand wiring a set of LED's and calculating what resistors I need but reading about research in electronics is fascinating because to me it seems like the high level researchers are true geniuses and I hardly understand a word of what they are telling me but I try hard to understand
>>47675108
A school that makes a distinction between computation theory and electric engineering?
For example, I could build a hydraulic computer, why would I have to learn electric engineering for that?
>>47675283
>Not to mention programming in Pascal without a school computer, lol.
lol
>>47675291
Glad to help.
>>47675283
I am the person you are replying to -
Must admit I'm a bit of an old fucker now but I had the same experience.
The local university tried an experiment with us kids when we were 13 and 14 - they tried to teach us mnemonic assembly language on a blackboard and I was the only one of about 100 kids that actually understood it. We started with adding two numbers together but by the end of the year I had got to the level where I could write quite complex programs. My career was in programming, then I went into operations on mainframes and now I troubleshoot grid networks
>>47674778
>The most important types are BJT transistors that let you switch on and off a large current with a very small one
So just like a relay right?but non mechanical
>>47675321
Yeah, why learn how to put pure theory into practice...
And you can't tell me your school soley taught you theoriatical CS.
Let's face it, your school is shit.
>>47675381
That's cool.
But some kids just need a different approach in order to become good or at least decent programmers.
>>47675456
>And you can't tell me your school soley taught you theoriatical CS.
every school behind the iron curtain taught theoretical CS because they didn't even fucking have computers until the late 90s
there was a guy my family knew who moved from the georgian republic (still the USSR when he was in school) to the US, and he had a CS degree -- all theoretical. no computers, at all. he understood how they worked and everything, but i'm not even sure he touched one until he came to the US
>>47675456
That sounds very convincing coming from a person who cannot even spell "solely" or "theoretical". Apparently, learning how to lay bricks is more useful than learning how to think coherently.
>>47675541
Why are you deflecting with your shitty friend's school?
>>47675483
Yes, It is why I always tell young people who are starting in programming to start with flow charts and to graduate to actually writing programs, but simplification of everything is essential. Good documentation, flowcharts, and the knowledge that one day you will write a routine or an algorithm so succinct and so perfect it will look like a poem to you, but only after you learn that all logic demands good explanation
>>47675583
i was explaining why they didn't have computers....? because it was the shitty USSR, that's why they didn't have computers. that's my point.
>>47675603
And I was pointing out that I don't give a shit about them. This was about your school, not USSR schools.
>>47675541
Are you telling me that a superpower never even had dumb terminals linked by accoustic couplers to a university mainframe in every school? That's amazing. Why didnt the USSR have computers in schools?>
>>47675626
i'm not the russian failure and you need to reading comprehension and stop being autism all the time
>>47675013
The point is that BJTs are simpler to understand when you're trying to learn what a transistor is made of and how it works, on a fundamental level.
>>47675121
He's trying to say you have to learn the shit being talked about in this thread in college, which WILL cost you a lot of money, because out education system is fucked.
>>47675666
You, He - who gives a shit - it's not going to be the Georgian guy from your blog.
Where the hell do you get the idea he's some slav shit and started college before the 90s?
>>47675563
At least I don't think pointing out typos is a valid counter-argument.
>>47675660
One of the reasons is that they made their own equipment and it was expensive, but the country was poor. Universities had them, but not high schools.
Anyway all socialist countries invested heavily in education after WW2, and having a computer wasn't essential for you to become a computer scientist, if you knew how computers work. After the fall, education turned to shit because experts were able to easily leave their countries and get jobs wherever. It is not profitable for a poor country in that situation to invest into creating experts anymore.
>>47674778
>quantum physics needed to understand basic PN-junctions
Lelelelel
And a BJT is not a switch. If it was, audio amplifiers would be impossible.
CS gonna CS
EE Masterrace
>>47674594
think of it as a solid state passive relay
>>47674594
I am honestly proud of your inner need of educating yourself. Keep it up, sir.
