What is transistor?

Answer by  john11 (617)

A transistor means trans resistance, or changing resistance. It is a three terminal device where two terminals conduct current and the third terminal (often called the gate) controls how much current can flow through the other two terminals. A transistor can operate either as a switch, or it can operate as a current-controlled analog device.

Answer by  cbdave (124)

A transistor is a solid-state (meaning silicon, etc, not a vacuum tube) electronic component which allows one input signal to control the current flowing between its two other connections.