ENGR 130: Basic Electrical Circuits I

Course Description

This course uses a mix of theory, experimental investigation, and computer simulations to introduce circuit analysis principles that are based on the fundamental behaviors of electric and magnetic fields. Our ability to control these elemental forces gives rise to the enormous variety of practical applications we use every day from relatively simple lighting tasks to sophisticated smart phone and computer operations. We begin our journey with basic direct current (DC) circuits containing voltage and current sources and resistor networks in series, parallel, and series-parallel configurations that give rise to behaviors that are constant in time (think “I flip the switch and the light goes on and stays on at constant brightness until I leave the room and turn it off”). Creating circuits with time-dependent behavior (think “interval wipers”) will lead us to explore electric and magnetic fields in the context of capacitors and inductors, which can store electromagnetic energy and lead to interesting behaviors. In the last part of the course, we will investigate simple sinusoidal alternating current (AC) circuits, which are the basis of everything we power by “plugging in” via standard wall sockets. This course includes calculus-based content and is recommended for engineering majors. Prerequisite: MATH 171 or higher Math course.