A *transistor* is an electronic component for controlling or amplifying electrical voltages and currents.
In simple terms, a transistor is an electrically controlled switch. It consists of three main components: a **source**, a **gate** and a **drain**. The gate acts as a switch that controls whether an electric current can flow from the source to the drain.
![[transistor.excalidraw.light.svg]]
The inner workings of transistors is governed by semiconductor physics since transistors are commonly fabricated from silicon, a [[Semiconductor|semiconductor]]. Semiconductor physics, in turn, is an important sub-area of solid-state physics that would not exist without modern [[Quantum Mechanics|quantum physics]].
>[!read]- Further Reading
>- [[Algorithm]]
>- [[Classical Computer]]
>[!ref]- References