ELE 2001 - Electric Circuits I: Theory and Applications

• Demonstrate knowledge of electrical quantities in a steady-state DC context:  voltage, current, resistance, power, and energy, including SI units and prefixes
• Identify sources and loads in an energy conversion context, shorts and opens
• Relate symbols and circuit schematics to physical components and circuit boards
• Identify common circuit configurations:  series, parallel, series-parallel, and standard ideal op-amp configurations
• Analyze DC series and parallel circuits through application of Ohm’s law and Kirchhoff’s voltage and current laws
• Analyze DC series-parallel circuits, including use of the voltage and current divider rules, of linear circuit elements and the passive sign convention with consequent implications for sources and loads (note: generally limited to five passive components)
• Analyze DC circuits using nodal analysis and mathematical software for the calculations (note: mesh circuit analysis is explicitly excluded)
• Analyze DC circuits using circuit simulation software
• Mathematically represent the time domain and the phasor forms of AC sinusoidal steady-state signals
• Demonstrate knowledge of capacitance, inductance, and the following items for capacitors and inductors:  i-v relationships, reactance, DC behavior, and AC behavior
• Compute impedances, voltages, and currents using complex numbers in AC calculations
• Analyze AC circuits using series-parallel and nodal circuit techniques using mathematical software for the calculations (notes: generally limited to five passive components; use of software as opposed to manual methods is intentional)
• Analyze AC circuits using circuit simulation software
• Use superposition to analyze a circuit with both DC and one AC frequency present (note: not multiple AC sources, which is covered in Electric Circuits II)
• Recognize when the linearity condition for superposition in a circuit is valid
• Compute real AC power in circuits that contain reactance at one frequency
• Distinguish real power from apparent power in simple series and parallel AC circuits
• Analyze ideal op-amp circuits in standard configurations
• Analyze and simulate circuits with provided models of sensors, actuators, and machines
• Analytically determine Thévenin and Norton equivalent circuits of DC circuits using the open circuit - short circuit approach and graphically using voltage-current (i-v) plots (note: limited-size DC circuits are intended)
• Analyze the magnitude frequency response of two-component series RL and RC circuits for the output voltage across one component (note: phase response is covered in Electric Circuits II)
• Plot the frequency response of two-component series RL and RC circuits on semilogarithmic graphs using mathematical software and using simulations
• Identify lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and bandstop (bandreject) filter types in frequency response plots
• Identify the 20 dB/decade slope and the break frequency in the magnitude frequency response plots of two-component series RL and RC circuits (note:  transfer functions, phase response plots, and Bode plots are topics in Electric Circuits II)
• Distinguish analog and digital signals
• Demonstrate electrical laboratory measurement and instrumentation skills in DC and AC circuits, including those with sensors and actuators

• Algebra and trigonometry through precalculus
• Concept of electric charges
• Power and energy concepts

• Electrical quantities in a steady-state DC context:  voltage, current resistance, power, and energy; units and prefixes; sources and loads in an energy conversion context; shorts and opens; symbols, circuit schematics, relationship to physical components and circuit boards
• DC series and parallel circuit analysis, Kirchhoff’s voltage and current laws
• DC series-parallel circuit analysis; voltage and current divider rules of linear circuit elements, passive sign convention and implications for sources and loads
• Nodal analysis, including use of mathematical software and circuit simulation software
• AC sinusoidal steady state signal: time domain and phasor mathematical representations
• Capacitance, inductance, reactance; DC and AC in inductors and capacitors
• Impedance, complex numbers, and use of complex numbers in AC calculation; two-component RL and RC series circuits
• AC series-parallel and nodal circuit analysis
• Superposition, including linearity condition for applicability of superposition
• Real AC power for same and different frequencies; apparent power distinction
• Ideal op-amps and standard configurations circuit analysis
• Model concept and using models; Thevenin/Norton equivalent circuits; models of example devices, such as motors, batteries, pH probes, solar cell, and so forth
• Analytic determination of Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits of limited-size DC circuits using the open circuit - short circuit approach and graphically using voltage-current (i-v) plots
• Variable frequency circuit analysis and semilogarithmic plots:  two-component series RL and RC circuits; the filtering concept; simulations; the 20 dB/decade slope and break frequency concepts; mathematical software, log scales, and the dB (note:  the transfer function is a topic in Electric Circuits 2)
• Overview of signal types: analog versus digital

• Laboratory safety; DC instrumentation use, breadboarding, basic voltage and current measurements
• Practice connections, Kirchhoff’s voltage law, Ohm’s law, input and output relationship
• Series and parallel resistances, loading effects, current-voltage characteristic
• Multi-branch circuits Kirchhoff’s current law
• Portable AC instrumentation:  generator and scope; scope output interpretation
• Benchtop AC instrumentation; imperfections of portable and benchtop equipment
• AC magnitude, phase, and current measurement using a sense resistor
• Inductive component model (RL) extraction from measurements
• DC op-amp circuit
• Superposition, filtering illustration, amplification, periodic signal scope triggering
• Frequency sweep, AC equivalent circuit model extraction
• Op-amp digital-to-analog converter experiment
• Midterm exams are held during laboratory sessions (no experiment that week)