What is a Computer Chip?
A computer chip is a small electronic circuit, also known as an integrated circuit, which is one of the basic components of most kinds of electronic devices, especially computers. Computer chips are small and are made of semiconductors that is usually composed of silicon, on which several tiny components including transistors are embedded and used to transmit electronic data signals. They became popular in the latter half of the 20th century because of their small size, low cost, high performance and ease to produce. The modern computer chip saw its beginning in the 1950s through two separate researchers who were not working together, but developed similar chips. The first was developed at Texas Instruments by Jack Kilby in 1958, and the second was developed at Fairchild Semiconductor by Robert Noyce in 1958. These first computer chips used relatively few transistors, usually around ten, and were known as small-scale integration chips. As time went on through the century, the amount of
With the heat of the past few weeks, we are all bracing for a high electric bill. It could be a good time to think about energy conservation. Here’s a few easy, low-cost, no-cost ways to save energy and money: • Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle • Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use. • Plug your home electronics–TV’s DVD players, etc. into a power strip and turn off the power strip when the equipment is not in use (standby mode still uses several watts of power). For more great ideas to keep us cool now and warm later check out: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.
