CE163-4-AU-CO:
Foundations of Electronics I

The details
2015/16
Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
15
02 March 2010

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

CE266, CE267

Key module for

BENGH610 Electronic Engineering,
BENGH611 Electronic Engineering (Including Year Abroad),
BENGH61P Electronic Engineering (Including Foundation Year),
BENGHP10 Electronic Engineering (Including Placement Year),
MENGH613 Electronic Engineering,
MENGH614 Electronic Engineering (Integrated Masters, Including Placement Year),
BSC G1F3 Mathematics with Physics,
BSC GCF3 Mathematics with Physics (Including Year Abroad),
BENGH641 Communications Engineering,
BENGHP41 Communications Engineering (Including Foundation Year),
BENGHPK1 Communications Engineering (Including Placement Year),
BENGHQ41 Communications Engineering (Including Year Abroad),
BSC H631 Electronics,
BSC H632 Electronics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC H633 Electronics (Including Placement Year)

Module description

This module is one of two concerned with scientific and engineering foundations on which electronics is based. All electronics components are based on physical principles that relate voltage, current flow and the storage or loss of energy. All the theory we need to learn about how circuits behave is based on the fact that electric charge cannot be created or destroyed, and that the energy of each electron just depends on where it is, and how fast it is moving. How charges move in materials depends on their crystal structures. From basic ideas, the main principles of electronics are built up so that they can be used in the wider study of electronics to solve problems.

Upon completion of this module, students should have gained an understanding of electronic principles that enables them to analyse basic network circuit problems.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Apply dimensional analysis to electrical units and formulae
2. Find forces on charges or systems of charges in electric fields
3. Evaluate forces on current elements in a magnetic field
4. Explain the basic properties of conductors, insulators and semiconductors
5 Apply concepts such as Thévenin and Norton sources to resistor networks
6 Apply a systematic method such as mesh or nodal analysis

Outline Syllabus

. Introduction to vectors. Addition of vectors; description of rotation in two dimensions by matrix; scalar products, and invariance to rotations. Vector products, and representation of torque.
. Kinematics: velocity as rate of change of position, acceleration as rate of change of velocity. Introduction to derivatives. Rotary motion.
. Charges and Fields; Forces on static and moving charges due to electric and magnetic fields; Electric fields due to charges; conservation of charge. Potential and electrical energy.
. Charge mobility in materials, electrical current as collective charge motion. Concept of resistance, and Ohms law for linear materials; conductance; series and parallel combinations. Principles of conservation and Kirchhoff laws as basis for electrical theory; Networks with sources: Thevenin and Norton theorems. Matrix description of a network.
. Series and parallel circuit paths; Basic electrical measurements

Module aims

No information available.

Module learning outcomes

No information available.

Module information

STUDENTS SHOULD NOTE THAT THIS MODULE INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO REVIEW AND CHANGE.

Learning and teaching methods

Lectures, Laboratories and Classes

Bibliography

(none)

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Laboratory Report     50% 
Written Exam  Progress Test     50% 
Exam  Main exam: 120 minutes during January 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
40% 60%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
0% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Tim Dennis
School Office, email: csee-schooloffice (non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create full e-mail address), Telephone 01206 872770

 

Availability
Yes
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.

 

Further information

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