Q&A · 3:26:15-3:26:51

How 1938 transistors accelerate radar and computing

Early transistors would make radar, codebreaking machines, and other computing systems smaller, easier to manufacture, and more capable during the Second World War.

Question

What impact would the invention of transistors in 1938 have on the Second World War?

Short answer

Radar, codebreaking, and early computers would become easier to build and substantially more capable.

Notes

Vacuum tubes made early radar and computing equipment bulky, fragile, hot, and difficult to produce in large numbers. Introducing practical transistors in 1938 changes the components available before wartime development accelerates. Radar sets could become easier to build and integrate aboard ships and aircraft. Codebreaking and early computing machinery would gain similar advantages, expanding both tactical sensing and operational information processing.