An integrated circuit (IC) is a single unit that comprises several logic gates designed for the easy construction of [digital circuits](/Electronics/Digital_circuits.md). The terms "integrated circuit" and "chip" are often used interchangeably.
An IC puts the gates on a single piece of silicon that has electrical contact points called pins. The type we will look at are called **dual in-line packages** (DIPs). They are rectangular wth two parallel rows of pins. The pins make it easy to connect DIPs to a breadboard.
_An integrated circuit and its use on a breadboard:_
