You are about to enter the hidden, inner world of computers.
The part nobody sees, deep inside - where the true magic happens. Remove the hard, opaque shell of a computer chip and you'll find a device full of ingenious logic and astonishing creativity. Chips are made of a multitude of tiny switches called transistors, which are formed at the interface of various materials layered on the surface of silicon.They aren't mechanical switches like we're used to seeing - there are no moving parts. These switches are controlled by electrons: Push electrons in the side and main flow of electrons through the switch is cut off. Stop pushing electrons and the flow resumes.The switches themselves are interesting, but it's the clever ways the switches are connected together that make a computer smart. Over the next 60 puzzles you'll discover how simple switches can be connected together to do surprisingly smart things. Though the switches are mechanical instead of electrical, there's theoretically no limit to what you can create with them.