4 - Transistors

INTRO: Today we were introduced to the transistor. A transistor is a circuit element that can control voltage or current. A transistor can be controlled by voltage or current.

Here we started off with a basic circuit problem. Still reviewing some basic circuit methods, we Solved what our resistance needed to be under certain situations. Since we had a current restriction of 10MA tops, and a Voltage range, we solved for the following values of current.

Here the hotdog told Professor Mason the tale of its' birth. It was a story wrapped in mystery, magic, and a narration that was so thrilling it can only be compared to the final seconds of the academy award winning, blockbuster ultra holiday hit, Jingle All the Way. After hearing this tale of a lifetime, Professor Mason shed a single tear, and promised the dying wiener he would never harm another frank ever again. He was never the same....

 

Until 5 seconds later when he instantly reversed his promise and torched another bratwurst from the inside out


Here professor Mason challenged the last hotdog to a game of rock, paper, scissors.If it won, he would promise to set it free. The hotdog was jubilent, like a child on Christmas receiving the best gift of all, the BLU-RAY Directors Cut, Arnold Cut, of the All-time smash super hit, Jingle all the way. Sadly Professor Mason chose rock  and the hotog realized it never stood a chance, a hotdog could never be a rock, paper, or scissor, only a hotdog..... It was a lesson in philosophy that the hotdog never forgot would remember forever ........ until 5 seconds later when Professor Mason ate it whole.



LAB: Dusk to Dawn Light
In todays lab we dealt with a transistor and a dusk-to-dawn light. Like I mentioned in the intro, a transistor needs a certain voltage or current to let voltage or current flow through it. The dusk to dawn resistor increases resistances the darker things get.

Here is a copy of the circuit diagram. The only other element not mentioned is the LED, which is under the transistor. A LED is a diode, which is a one-way valve for current.

Below is a video of the circuit in action, with the darkness covering the resistor, the transistor gets stimulated with the right aount of current and the led lights up.