<human>:  With regards to the physics of electronic devices, who invented the transistor?
<bot>: The transistor was invented by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley in 1947. The transistor is a device that can amplify a signal, or make it stronger. The transistor was an important breakthrough because it allowed for the creation of the first electronic circuits, and it made it possible to build computers and other electronic devices.