A grammatical note re "Electronic" vs. "Electric" or "Electrical".

The difference between an energy machine and a data machine is closely reflected in the difference between the usage of the word "electrical" and the word "electronic".

In modern usage the words "electrical" and "electric" refer to energy machines and "electronic" refers to data machines.

Thus "Electric hair dryer", "Electric oven", "Electric Light". These are all about large quantities of energy. Thousands of watts.

But an "Electronic calculator", "Electronic control unit". These use very tiny amounts of power, milliwatts. They control electrons to move in various logical ways.

"Electronic" is often preceded by "Digital"; "Electric" would never be. Thus, "Digital Electronic calculator", but never "Digital Electric Fence".

A person who repairs big motors and generators and power systems in houses is an "Electrician", but a person who builds computer circuits deals with "Electronics" and is an "Electronic Engineer".

According to their website (IEEE.org), the IEEE (pronounced eye-triple-e) is the world's largest technical professional society. IEEE stands for "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers". Note the very distinction I am talking about right there in the name, "Electrical and Electronics".

The IEEE was formed in 1963 by the merger of the AIEE, or "American Institute of Electrical Engineers" and the IRE, or "Institute of Radio Engineers".

The AIEE was founded in 1884, led by companies like Edison Electric and General Electric. They were all about power generation.

A decade or two later, Marconi invented the "radio", and others invented vacuum tubes and a whole new kind of science was created. The IRE, or Institute of Radio Engineers was formed in 1912. Many new inventions then came along, not the least of which was the "transistor" in 1947, which led to new kinds of radios and radio circuits in the mid 1950's. And thus the science of "electronics" was born.

And in 1963 the AIEE ("electrical engineers") and the IRE ("radio engineers") merged into the IEEE, the "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers".

Modern computers are all about using the LEAST amount of power they can. They use electrons, not for power, but for their ability to flow in patterns of 1's and 0's. On the other hand, power companies are all about generating the MOST amount of power they can. They use electrons not for transmitting 1's and 0's, but for transferring huge amounts of power across the country to create light and motion.