The primary objective of this course is to introduce the basic principles of electric circuits through experimentation and laboratory-based activities. The emphasis in the course will be on analog circuits with an introduction to digital electronics at the end of the semester. Specific objectives include recognizing safe electrical hazards and practicing proper safety procedures in the laboratory; identifying components from a circuit diagram; constructing circuits from circuit diagrams; being able to decompose circuits into parallel and series networks and apply Thevenin’s theorem to simplify circuits for analysis; being able to apply Kirchoff’s Laws and Ohm’s law to analyze a circuit; applying various mathematics modes to analyze circuits including solving simultaneous equations, logarithms, exponentials and sinusoidal functions; making accurate electric measurements using a digital multimeter and oscilloscope; developing techniques for troubleshooting electric circuits; designing and building a complex circuit using various components and solderless breadboards; and designing and building a complex circuit using the software Electronic Workbench.

Prerequisite: Physics or Honors Physics. UC approved.

Interview with: Dr. Nelson

Produced by: Evan Cheng