The transistor acts as a switch to turn on and off the current flow.

We can also use transistors to control the power supply to different electronic components. This is a basic function that we use in digital logic circuits, such as those found in computers, where we use transistors to represent the ones and zeros of binary code. In practice this means we use transistors as electronic switches that turn electronic circuits on or off. | Image: ShutterstockĪ transistor can act as a switch or gate for electronic signals. Typical structure of a transistor consisting of an emitter, collector and base. This process allows the base to control the flow of current between the emitter and collector so we may use the transistor in a variety of ways. However, when a current flows through the base it opens up the base-collector junction and allows electrons to flow from the emitter to the collector. The base-collector junction is reverse-biased, which means that electrons are prevented from flowing from the base to the collector. This is due to the fact that the base-emitter junction is forward-biased, thereby allowing electrons to flow from the emitter to the base. When a small current flows through the base, it controls the flow of a much larger current between the emitter and the collector. More From This Expert What Is the Dielectric Constant? The emitter serves as the source of electrons, the collector as the drain and the base as the control terminal.

A transistor consists of three main parts: the emitter, the base and the collector.

Transistor game switch function