Jun 16, 2008

Toggle, Rocker, Slide, Pushbutton, Tact, Dip, Rotary, Illuminated Switches


Switch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

switch is a mechanical device used to connect and disconnect a circuit at will. Switches cover a wide range of types, from subminiature up to industrial plant switching megawatts of power on high voltage distribution lines.

In applications where multiple switching options are required (e.g., a telephone service), mechanical switches have long been replaced by electronic switching devices which can be automated and intelligently controlled.

The prototypical model is perhaps a mechanical device (for example a railroad switch) which can be disconnected from one course and connected to another.

The switch is referred to as a "gate" when abstracted to mathematical form. In the philosophy of logic, operational arguments are represented as logic gates. The use of electronic gates to function as a system of logical gates is the fundamental basis for the computer—i.e. a computer is a system of electronic switches which function as logical gates.

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