William Shockley, one of the inventors of the transistor, once explained transistor-amplifiers this way:
>*”If you take a bale of hay and tie it to the tail of a mule and then strike a match and set the bale of hay on fire, and if you then compare the energy expended shortly thereafter by the mule with the energy expended by yourself in the striking of the match, you will understand the concept of amplification.”*
which seems to describe the concept but not the process.
In: 6
A transistor is an electric valve, controlled by a voltage. This valve is normally closed, the more voltage you send to the base the more it opens.
In your question: The transistor is the core of an amplifier but it doesn’t actually amplify anything. A circuit makes a lot of power, then the transistor takes this power and reduce it to what you want and give it the shape you want.
You send to the transistor infinite power one side, you connect the exit to speakers.
Then on the base of the transistor you send a voltage, more voltage, more the transistor open the path for the power.
Let’s say, before the transistor we put a source of 500watt of power. On the base of the transistor we send a weak music signal, just a voltage that goes up and down the same as the music sound wave. At the exit of the transistor you have 500watt going out with exactly the same ups and down as the music you sent to the base.
Voilà, you have transformed a weak music signal into 500watt of music signal.
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