...and I feel I must share it with all the electrical engineers and teachers out there.
A transistor is NOT an amplifier. A transistor is NOT a switch. Stop saying it's an amplifier. An amplifier is an amplifier. A transistor can be used to make an amplifier, but so can other things. Not only that, it can be used as a buffer with unity gain, or it can even be used to attenuate a signal. In the case of a FET, because it's a voltage controlled device, it's not even proper to call it an amplifier even in the loosest sense. It's almost like it's meant to be confusing on purpose.
If you simply must have an analogy, repeat after me: a transistor is similar to a VALVE. Not a switch...not an amplifier....it's not like two diodes back to back (who comes up with this nonsense???). It's getting a bit tiresome explaining to people how transistors work when I first have to un-explain all of the incorrect analogies.
I just felt like I needed to get that off my chest