Logic gates are basic electronic components that perform logical operations on binary inputs and produce binary outputs. There are three basic logic gates: AND, OR, and NOT. Other common logic gates include NAND, NOR, XOR, and XNOR, which are combinations of the basic gates. Logic gates are the building blocks of digital circuits and are essential components in electronic devices like computers and processors, where they manipulate binary information to perform operations and make logical decisions. They allow computers to process data using binary 1s and 0s by transforming inputs through logical functions.