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In the context of making circuits, sensorsA device that can measure something about its environment. Examples are movement, light, color, moisture, pressure, and many more., and actuatorsA way of controlling some device electronically. It might turn the device on or off or change a setting or property or do any other thing that the device is capable of., a thin, round slice of pure siliconAn element (number 14 in the periodic table) that can be a semiconductor, making it the material of preference for circuits and micro-mechanical devices.. Multiple devices will be made on it; it will then be sliced up to separate the individual chipsAn electronic device made on a piece of silicon. These days, it could also involve a mechanical chip, but, to the outside world, everything looks electronic. The chip is usually in some kind of package; that package might contain multiple chips. "Integrated circuit," and "IC" mean the same thing, but refer only to electronic chips, not mechanical chips..