GoKawiilExplainer traces transistor origins back to 1835 telegraph relays
A technology explainer walks through the history of the transistor, starting with the electric relay invented in 1835 for telegraph systems. It explains how relays used a small current to control a larger one, solving signal-loss problems over long telegraph wires, laying groundwork for the switching logic that transistors would later perform electronically.
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Transistors underpin virtually every modern electronic device, from smartphones to cars to AI systems, making this piece of engineering history foundational to understanding today's digital economy. Tracing the lineage from mechanical relays to solid-state transistors highlights how incremental innovation, not single breakthroughs, built the modern computing era.
- Electric relays from 1835 telegraph systems were precursors to the transistor's switching function.
- Relays used a small current to control a larger one, solving signal loss over long telegraph lines.
- Transistors are considered one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, enabling nearly all modern electronics.
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Published there as: “Transistors Changed Everything. Here’s How They Work”
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