Bootstrapping (electronics)

Bootstrapping is a way of using the electronics in a circuit to change how the circuit works. An example of a circuit that uses bootstrapping is an amplifier. In an amplifier, two transistors are used to turn a small input signal into a larger output signal. The transistors can be "bootstrapped" by connecting one of the transistors to the output of the other. This way, even a small input signal can be amplified to the same level as the output of the other transistor. This is a bit like connecting a rope between two people and having them both pull on it. This technique can be used to make amplifiers work better or to make other types of circuits work better.