ENGR& 204 - Electrical Circuits

Credits: 5
Variable Credit Course: No

Lecture Hours: 44
Lab Hours: 22
Worksite/Clinical Hours: 0
Other Hours (LIA/Internships): 0

Course Description: An introduction to the electrical engineering profession through the design and analysis of linear circuits. Topics include modeling circuit response via voltage and current; mathematical descriptions of common circuit elements (e.g., independent/dependent sources; resistors; capacitors; inductors; etc.); constructing circuits using these elements (e.g., R; RC; RL; RLC); and predicting circuit response. Other topics include operational amplifiers and sinusoidal steady-state analysis. Includes a laboratory component.

Prerequisite: PHYS& 243 with a grade of C or higher; and MATH 238 with a grade of C or higher (or concurrent enrollment).
Distribution Requirements:

Natural Sciences Distribution Requirement

Meets FQE Requirement: No
Integrative Experience Requirement: No

Student Learning Outcomes

Identify the physical quantities (e.g., voltage; current) used to describe circuit response (i.e., circuit variables) and explain what they represent.
List several of the most common circuit elements (e.g., sources; resistors; capacitors; inductors; operational amplifiers), how their behavior is defined mathematically, and explain how and why they are used in circuit design.
Apply several circuit analysis techniques (e.g., Kirchhoff’s Laws; Ohm’s Law; circuit reduction; node and loop/mesh; etc.) to physical circuits, and compare their outputs.
Calculate the steady-state and/or transient behavior of first- and second-order circuits involving resistors, capacitors, inductors, and/or constant or varying (e.g., sinusoidal) power sources.

Course Contents

Providing context: What is circuits analysis? How is it used? Why is it important?
Physical quantities used to model electric circuit response (e.g., charge; current; voltage; energy; power).
Introduction to basic circuit elements (e.g., wires/traces; leads; resistors; sources; etc.); Ohm’s Law; Kirchhoff’s Law.
Simple resistive circuits; series and parallel equivalents; voltage and current dividers; voltage and current measurements.
Solutions to systems of linear equations review; node and mesh/loop analysis; Thevenin and Norton equivalents.
Operational amplifier circuits.
Capacitors and inductors; first and second order circuits with constant or varying power sources; steady-state and/or transient behavior.

Instructional Units: 5.5