(n.) Also referred to as a
bistable gate, a type of circuit that is interconnected with like circuits to form logic gates in digital
integrated circuits, such as
memory chips and
microprocessors. The name “flip-flop” comes from the circuit’s nature of alternating between two states when a current is applied to the circuit (for example, 1 to 0 or 0 to 1). A flip-flop will maintain its state indefinitely until it receives an input pulse, called a
trigger, which forces it to alternate its state. Once the circuit changes state it remains in that state until another trigger is received.
