View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-transistors-work-gokul-j-krishnan

Modern computers are revolutionizing our lives, performing tasks unimaginable only decades ago. This was made possible by a long series of innovations, but there’s one foundational invention that almost everything else relies upon: the transistor. Gokul J. Krishnan describes what a transistor is and how this small device enables all the amazing things computers can do.

Lesson by Gokul J. Krishna, animation by Augenblick Studios.