what the hell is a computer chip? .rant

I was reading an article about a business card that has a "computer chip" to let you access certain areas of a city.

The media uses this term a lot but what the hell is a computer chip?
If the chip is inside the card was it pulled out of a computer and then placed there? Because the card is not a computer so how is it a computer chip?

Is a computer chip a microcontroller? Then why not just say so.
If its just an RFID that's not even a microcontroller ...

Is a computer chip a CPU?

Such a vague term if you ask me.

If I rip an etc off a mother board and use it is that considered a computer chip??

Or is just any IC considered a computer chip?
So a resistor array alone is a pretty useless computer chip

Or is just any IC considered a computer chip?
So a resistor array alone is a pretty useless computer chip

Yes, in my opinion the mass media most likely thinks that any integrated circuit device be best described as a 'computer chip'. It's not the worst media does in trying to communicate technical/scientific information to the general public in my opinion.

Lefty

retrolefty:

Or is just any IC considered a computer chip?
So a resistor array alone is a pretty useless computer chip

Yes, in my opinion the mass media most likely thinks that any integrated circuit device be best described as a 'computer chip'. It's not the worst media does in trying to communicate technical/scientific information to the general public in my opinion.

Lefty

Sure, it's any chip (IC) that could conceivably be used to implement a computer.

"Computer Chip" on Wikipedia takes you to Integrated Circuit, the more formal term.