Integrated Circuit Introduction

February 11, 2026  •  EPISODE 297

Why were integrated circuits so important in making computers smaller, faster, and more powerful? In this episode of Science LIVE, Roger Billings introduces the integrated circuit. Discover how integrated circuits helped shrink computers while making them faster and more powerful—paving the way for today’s technology. The episode also highlights the excitement surrounding the great comet of 2026 and the engineering behind high-speed bullet trains.

About DrB

Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology. As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


Read more about DrB » 
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »

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5,627 Comments

  1. Pierce

    How long did it take for the six people to make the big circuit work?

    Reply
  2. Michael

    Hi from Texas.

    Reply
  3. Karmaleigh

    Bullet trains are so cool. *

    Reply
  4. Malakai

    I wish these could last longer because of how cool they are!

    Reply
  5. Sarah

    When was the first circuit invented?

    Reply
  6. Cayden

    really interesting about the circuit

    Reply
  7. Kennedi

    Love watching Science live!

    Reply
  8. Jenica

    integrated Circuit Introduction

    Reply
  9. Patrick

    Hello from missouri

    Reply
  10. Landon

    I learned about circuits on Acellus!

    Reply
  11. Jaesean

    How did they make the train go so fast?

    Reply
  12. Serenity

    I loved this live!

    Reply
  13. Jaclyn

    Very interesting to learn about!

    Reply
  14. Tylah

    Science Live is so cool

    Reply
  15. Benjamin

    i love watching these they are so fun and i love them. How long does it take to make the script for these?

    Reply
  16. Charles

    I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do

    Reply
  17. Skyler

    The comet should be named Sky-Shatterer. How long did it take to make that tiny transistor by hand?

    Reply
  18. Nathan

    Always learning something new with these videos!

    Reply
  19. Raya

    hi from AL

    Reply
  20. Isabella

    it was really cool learning about the circuit !

    Reply
  21. Tyler

    Hello from Arlington TN.

    Reply
  22. James

    What will the next episode of sciencelive will be?

    Reply
  23. Ian

    Mr Billings lives are always so interesting!!!

    Reply
  24. Baylee

    I liked when you talked about the bullet trains

    Reply
  25. Alden

    I would love to hear more about how our wireless internet works.

    Reply
  26. Gracie

    Happy birthday Thomas Edison.

    Reply
  27. Katelyn

    R51 is so funny

    Reply
  28. Aubrie

    learning with acellus is so cool!!

    Reply
  29. Surrey

    I loved how they explained the inter grated circuit and how important they are to making smaller computers and how much faster and better they have became over the years

    Reply
  30. Tru

    What happens when the comment gets to close to the sun?

    Reply
  31. Katelyn

    Hello from NY

    Reply
  32. Nadirah

    Super interesting learning about computers!

    Reply
  33. Aleah

    Loved the live this week!!

    Reply
  34. Benjamin

    This was a great episode!

    Reply
  35. Brennah

    I love R51! Absolutely hilarious

    Reply
  36. Zoe

    You are so cool and I love your videos

    Reply
  37. River

    It is very interesting to see the evoloution of circuits. 17,000 vacuum tubes is a lot to keep up with.

    Reply
  38. Anthony

    R51 is awesome and this program is great

    Reply
  39. Gracelyn

    Science live is amazing!

    Reply
  40. Asher

    i like bullet trains they look like a plane!

    Reply
  41. Shyanne

    Loved learning about the comet that bursted into a bunch of comets!

    Reply
  42. Mackenzie

    The bullet train safety measures are so incredible. The point and call system is so simple but incredibly effective it was even adopted by New York subway conductors.

    Reply
  43. Connor

    So happy to see Dr. Billings! He’s always so fun to watch!

    Reply
  44. Nevaeh

    i love the science lives ! i never knew today was national inventors day.

    Reply
  45. Gabriella

    Haha that’s my favorite joke yet! And yay happy national inventors day!

    Reply
  46. Genesis

    Wow bullet trains are crazy fast, thank you for telling me.

    Reply
  47. Keagan

    I love this it’s so funny and a good tutor for me to learn the stuff I need.

    Reply
  48. Sidney

    We can’t wait to see our first comet of 2026.

    Reply
  49. Callee

    How small can an integrated circuit get before it stops working?

    Reply
  50. Robert

    I really want to go on a Japanese bullet train in person.

    Reply
  51. Alexander

    Integrated circuts are cool, actually, I’ve made a pcb integrated circuit and shipped it to my house!

    Reply
  52. Yaar

    Nice hearing about the circuit and the bullet trains!

    Reply
  53. Amen

    Comment ” This was a was a very educating video.

    Reply
  54. Rachel

    I really hope the comet isn’t too close to the sun because that would be awesome to see! Also the bullet trains speed running on cables was cool.

    Reply
  55. Braden

    Having these lives with Dr. Billings is the best part of Acellus!

    Reply
  56. Carson

    I liked the bullet train part!

    Reply
  57. Duong

    Hi from Vietnam

    Reply
  58. Aiden

    Happy chinese New Year!!!!

    Reply
  59. Joe

    I enjoyed this episode a lot thank your!

    Reply
  60. Arabelle

    Could you do some science on the human body and immune system?

    Reply
  61. Veronika

    I’m super excited about the science fair and all the cool things people make!

    Reply
  62. Honor

    what is the meaningful reason that we have integrated circuit introduction for?

    Reply
  63. Audrey

    Comets are cool.

    Reply
  64. Owen

    I LOVE SCENCE LIVE

    Reply
  65. Nevaeh

    i look forward to watching the live every week! i never knew today was national inventors day.

    Reply
  66. Madison

    I🩷science live

    Reply
  67. Josiah

    Watching from Charlott

    Reply
  68. Austin

    very interesting with the magnetic levitating trains!!

    Reply
  69. Elijah

    I love learning about the train with Tobias .

    Reply
  70. Selina

    it was nice to hear about integrated circuits

    Reply
  71. Syaire

    r51 is so cool

    Reply
  72. Ayden

    the integrated circuit was interesting

    Reply
  73. Delia

    Thank you for helping me learn something new. I am so exited for next week!

    Reply
  74. Bradyn

    Hello from S.C

    Reply
  75. Remi

    The structure of a space comet looks interesting to look at. Especially the dust trails and light and it has different types of color. But I’m curious, what materials make up the comets and their structure?

    Reply
  76. Gabriella

    I loved the explaining in this video, it helped me understand better.

    Reply
  77. Eliana

    Hi from PA

    Reply
  78. Joseph

    Hey from florida!!

    Reply
  79. Dylan

    Watching this from Ecuador

    Reply
  80. Josephine

    It’s so interesting how this works

    Reply
  81. Erica

    Again another amazing video I learned so much from it.

    Reply
  82. Hallie

    I loved learning about comets.

    Reply
  83. Nehemiah

    interesting to hear about integrated circuit

    Reply
  84. Rylin

    I liked hearing about integrated circuit.

    Reply
  85. Alanah

    love science live!

    Reply
  86. Dylan

    I LOVE R51

    Reply
  87. Chloe

    Bullet trains are so interesting.

    Reply
  88. Ruby

    Bullet trains are sooooo cool!!!

    Reply
  89. Destaney

    i love watching these lives! i get to learn new interesting things!

    Reply
  90. Michael

    Hi everyone from SC!!

    Reply
  91. Nadiya

    Hello from Lincoln NE

    Reply
  92. Alexi

    Great show!.. so excited about the comets of 2026!

    Reply
  93. Christopher

    It was interesting hear about integrated circuit and the bullet trains are so awesome

    Reply
  94. Julian

    I was excited to hear about the circuits my dad is an electrician

    Reply
  95. Codyshane

    It was so cool and so interesting

    Reply
  96. Jaxon

    I always thought bullet trains were cool with how fast they can travel

    Reply
  97. Mya

    Greetings from New Mexico.

    Reply
  98. Nick

    Wow!! The Protégés keep getting better and better!!

    Reply
  99. Aiden

    I really like science and learning about circuits.

    Reply
  100. Kaylee

    these are my favorite

    Reply
  101. Adelise

    It was interesting to read about the integrated circuit.

    Reply
  102. Ayonna

    I love bullet trains

    Reply
  103. Daniel

    integrated circuits are tiny chips that contain many electronic components on one small piece of material. They are used in devices like phones and computers. They are used in devices like phones and computers. They make electronics smaller and faster.

    Reply
  104. Jaxon

    I always thought that bullet trains were super cool with how fast they can travel.

    Reply
  105. Kayden

    I am fascinated with trains. My mom has taken me on different train routes on different kinds of trains.

    Reply
  106. Chase

    it was a very good video. I enjoyed it very much would watch again

    Reply
  107. Dana

    It was definitely interesting :))

    Reply
  108. Douglas

    I’ve really liked bullet trains for a while now

    Reply
  109. Brinley

    Hello from AZ!!

    Reply
  110. Tucker

    I liked the bullet trains they are cool

    Reply
  111. George

    Hello from Florida.

    Reply
  112. Lanxton

    Science is awesome

    Reply
  113. Jaxson

    It was very interesting hearing about integrated circuits. I liked the whole video honestly, ecited to continue learning with acellus.

    Reply
  114. Mckinley

    i love learning new things

    Reply
  115. Emma

    How small is the smallest circuit ever made.

    Reply
  116. Patrick

    Great episode! Lovely to learn about circuts!

    Reply
  117. Tucker

    I liked the bullet trains

    Reply
  118. Kevin

    I wonder if they will ever improve the bullet train in the future?

    Reply
  119. Seda

    Thank you so much for making these videos i love watching these each week!!

    Reply
  120. Eliana

    love hearing about intregated circuits

    Reply
  121. Mason

    I honestly didnt know anything about national inventors day until today.

    Reply
  122. Asher

    Are there good places in New England for star/comet gazing?

    Reply
  123. Theodore

    Japan trains are fast and safe!

    Reply
  124. Mila

    It was very cool to hear about the intergrated circuit!

    Reply
  125. Antonella

    Never heard of inventors day before Very interesting

    Reply
  126. Sofiya

    Hello from OHIO

    Reply
  127. Isaiah

    I think comets look like really pretty stars. I really like comets because they look like shooting stars in the sky. I hope we can see it from our house!

    Reply
  128. Autumn

    *I love r51

    Reply
  129. Gina

    The bullet train is such a cool invention! I wonder how much it cost to create the trains, tracks, bridges, and tunnels?

    Reply
  130. Mya

    Learning about integrated circuit was cool.

    Reply
  131. Davian

    i love learning with acellus!

    Reply
  132. Ryker

    I love bullet trains.

    Reply
  133. Lilly

    can’t wait to see all the science fair entries!

    Reply
  134. Kaiya

    Integrated circuit has been my favorite thing I’ve learned about all year!

    Reply
  135. Gracie

    I would love to ride a bullet train.

    Reply
  136. Layne

    Science live was great today!

    Reply
  137. Michaela

    This was informative about integrated circuits.

    Reply
  138. Naveah

    love these science lives!!!

    Reply
  139. Ally

    I love learning with science live

    Reply
  140. Neri

    I love learning more about science with these lives!

    Reply
  141. Malaki

    Great video this week! I had to look that bit on clouds up! I mean I knew they weren’t weightless but I didn’t realize they weighed so much.

    Reply
  142. Caden

    hello from VA

    Reply
  143. Annabella

    Learning about the Orbits is interesting

    Reply
  144. Mason

    Oh joy my weekly science.

    Reply
  145. James

    This was great! It was interesting to her about integrated circuit.

    Reply
  146. Seraphina

    I really liked the portion about soldering, I love the facts that were stated.

    Reply
  147. Sadie

    I enjoyed learning about integrated circuits.

    Reply
  148. Mackenzie

    I love learning and I also love how Acellus makes learning fun and helps to understand harder concepts.

    Reply
  149. Taylen

    Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. I wonder did anyone used his notes to come up with LCD lights.

    Reply
  150. James

    I love R51!

    Reply
  151. Isabella

    Bullet trains are very interesting!

    Reply
  152. Jackson

    I like comet 51

    Reply
  153. Evilan

    Intergrated circuits are a helpful technology invented by humans.

    Reply
  154. Brookelyn

    thank you for teaching us about this interesting circuit

    Reply
  155. Allison

    Great lesson R51!

    Reply
  156. Ethan

    Here from Indiana!

    Reply
  157. Makayla

    Today’s lesson about the integrated circuits was really interesting today I learned a lot.

    Reply
  158. Cadence

    Loved the bullet trains!

    Reply
  159. Mia

    The topics covered on these lives are so cool!

    Reply
  160. Isaiah

    I am going to look out for the great comet of 2026.

    Reply
  161. Quinn

    I would love to go on a bullet train one day! A good comet name –
    North Star Comet.

    Reply
  162. Symphony

    I like R51. He’s so fun and I’m enjoying learning about computers.

    Reply
  163. Dominique

    In 1964 in Japan they first deviewed a fast moving train called the Bullet Train. They thought it would be a good idea to do it then because it was around the Olympics and the whole world would be watching. They would run it from Japan to Taiwan. The Bullet Train went really really fast, travelling about 130 miles per hour and it went 190 feet in 1 second. They are trying to make it without wheels and to run on magnets in the air above the tracks.

    Reply
  164. Mia

    These science lives are so helpfull! 🙂

    Reply
  165. Audriana

    This is AWESOME

    Reply
  166. Hayleigh

    I am excited to see the comet in April.

    Reply
  167. Angelina

    Roger Billings is so great!

    Reply
  168. Levi

    Integrated circuits have changed so much.

    Reply
  169. Noah

    Thank you for this week! Can’t wait to log in next week!

    Reply
  170. Solomon

    I love comets! I think we should name the new comet Little Mac because that is my nickname my aunt gave me. I also like the fact they are gonna use magnets to run the trains.

    Reply
  171. Bayleigh

    I think it was interesting to hear about the integrated circuit.

    Reply
  172. Harper

    I loved the bloopers!

    Reply
  173. Bela

    I love science live.

    Reply
  174. Genevieve

    The Japanese word for train — specifically an electric train — is 電車 (densha) which literally means electric vehicle

    Reply
  175. Thomas

    wow those trains are so fast!

    Reply

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