A new edition of a text which provides an introduction to discrete devices for the electronics technology student, with new computer applications problems and a new lab manual created just for this text. This text's practical, "need-to-know" focus guides students, step-by-step through the operation, characteristics, and limitations of all of the major modern solid state devices through circuit applications and concludes with an introduction to linear integrated circuits and a brief overview of operational amplifiers. Coverage features a strong introduction to the theory of discrete components early in the text; plus thorough discussion of FETs, LEDs, IREDs, TRIACs, transistor amplifiers, and maximum power curves.