Hi

Please have a look on the linked diagram which also contains my question:
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4604/invrtamplifiers.gif

Please keep your reply simple so that I can understand it. Many thanks.

Regards
PG

 

Here is a link to a datasheet for the LM741; an ancient opamp (40+ years old) but still in use, mostly by the educational system:
http://www.national.com/ds/LM/LM741.pdf
There is a schematic of the opamp on page 4. You'll see that on the inside, it's mostly transistors, some resistors, and a few capacitors.
That triangle symbol is used for both operational amplifiers and comparators. Comparators are similar to opamps, but different; opamps are used more for accurate amplification of signals, while comparator outputs change states very rapidly when the input voltages cross each other. Opamps are sometimes used as comparators, but they are much slower than the real thing. Comparators make very poor opamps.

Here is an animated tutorial on opamps:
http://holbert.faculty.asu.edu/ece201/opamp.html

 

Hello,

The following pages of the EDUCYPEDIA contain a lot of links on the different opamp topics:
Operational amplifiers
Opamp topics

Bertus

 

Thanks a lot, Sgt.

@Bertus: Thank you for the link.