The operational amplifier, or op-amp, is a basic building block of analog electronic circuits that amplifies the difference between its input terminals. It has very high gain, typically around 100,000, and its output depends on the difference between the voltages at its two input terminals. By using negative feedback, most of the open-loop gain is canceled out, making the op-amp useful for various applications like non-inverting and inverting amplifiers, adders, integrators, and differentiators. An ideal op-amp has infinite gain, bandwidth, and input impedance and zero output impedance. Practical op-amps have limitations compared to the ideal but can still perform signal amplification and processing functions.