Circuits & Systems

			Assessment Performance Criteria
		1A2		The student will be able to follow the general mathematical concepts of the derivation of an engineering or scientific result and will possess the mathematical skills to link those concepts.
				The student will be able to: Solve DC circuits using Kirchoff's current & voltage equations (simultaneous linear equations). Determine the transient response of RC, RL, and RLC circuits. (first & second order differential equations). Determine the response of circuits to arbitrary inputs using the Fourier transform and frequency domain analysis. Student will be able to apply complex variable analysis to the solution of RLC circuits with a single frequency source (voltage or current).
		1B2		Students will be able to apply the relevant concepts of electric and magnetic fields.
				The student will be able to: Understand the concept of capacitor and its relationship to electric fields/parallel plates. Understand the concept of the capacitor and its relationship to magnetic fields due to currents in wires. Understand the concept of resistance and its relationship to charge flow under the presence of an electric field.
		1C4		Both inside and outside their major, students will be able to analyze electrical circuits utilizing principles of charge conservation, Kirchoff's laws, Ohm's law, and Ampere's law.
				The student will be able to: Determine currents and voltages in circuits with voltage/current sources and R, L, and C components (circuits with passive components). Student will be able to apply circuit theorems (Thevenin's, Norton's, superposition, source transformation, parallel/series element combinations) to simplify the analysis of circuits. Construct basic circuits and measure currents and voltages within those circuits. Verify their analysis and measurement results with a circuit simulator such as PSpice.
		1C5		Both inside and outside their major, students will be able to analyze dynamical circuits in the frequency domain.
				The student will be able to: Determine the transfer function (in the frequency domain) of basic filters using passive R, L, and C components. Understand the principles of AC analysis based on representation of a time-varying analog signal in the frequency domain. Understand the application of impedance in RLC circuits and the use of DC circuit theorems in the analysis of such passive circuits.
		2A1		The student will select the physical variables that reflect the phenomenon being studied.
				The student will be able to: Measure basic variables (voltages, currents) relative to circuits including components whose behaviours depend on static and time-varying electric fields, magnetic fields, charge, and currents. Vary and measure power dissipation in electronic circuits. Vary and measure variables such as rise time in electronic circuits. Vary and measure variables such as frequency and frequency response in electronic circuits.
		2A2		The student will select from the relevant variables those that can be directly measured and those that must be derived from direct measurements on the basis of phyical laws.
				The student will be able to: Determine circuit responses using real components with parameters of those components determined experimentally and applied to evaluation of measured results. Measure transient responses of RL/RC and RLC circuits and relate behaviors to time constants, natural frequencies, and dampening coefficients. Measure Fourier transform of signals and relate the frequency component amplitudes to signals. Use a circuit simulator (PSpice) to evaluate the behavior of a circuit and compare the result of the simulation to physical measurements of the circuit's behavior.
		3B3		The students will have the ability to effectively use systems simulations appropriate to engineering practice.
				The student will be able to: Use a circuit simulator (PSpice) to evaluate the behavior of a circuit and compare the result of the simulation to physical measurements of the circuit's behavior.
		3C2		The students will have basic skills in the following areas: electrical - multimeter, oscilloscope, function generator, spectrum analyzer, thremocouple.
				The student will be able to: Use oscilloscope, function generator, multimeter, and power supplies in combination with custom circuits built using prototype boards for electrical measurements and characterization of electronic systems.
		4A4		Students will be able to visualize objects (parts/assemblies) and represent them using standard graphical methodologies.
				The student will be able to: Represent circuits using schematic representations, including alternate topologies representing the same circuit. Use simplified equivalent representations (Thevenin/Norton equivalents) to evaluate the interaction between a complex circuit and external components. Student will use frequency-domain plots to describe the behavior of circuits driven by complex (and often unknown) driving signals.
		4B1		The student will identify input, output, and operating variables as appropriate in various units.
				The student will be able to: Understand the redistribution of voltage drops in resistive circuits with changes in values of resistors in series. Understand the redistribution of current flow through resistors with changes in the values of resistors in parallel. Understand the changes in exponential voltage/current waveforms with with changes in the values of R, L, or C for RC, RL, and RLC circuits. Understand the application of the superposition theorem to allow use of multiple voltage/current sources within a circuit. Understand the equivalencies of voltage and current sources when the transformation theorem can be applied (V-R in series vs I-R in parallel).