Electrical Circuits I Syllabus for 2024-2025
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Course Information

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Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

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Course

ENGR-2305-001 Electrical Circuits I

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: PHYS 2426, Principles of Physics II; MATH 2414, Calculus II Pre/Co-requisites:  MATH 2320, Differential Equations or equivalent

Course Description

Principles of electrical circuits and systems. Basic circuit elements (resistance, inductance, mutual inductance, capacitance, independent and dependent controlled voltage and current sources). Topology of electrical networks; Kirchhoff 's laws; node and mesh analysis; DC circuit analysis; operational amplifiers; transient and sinusoidal steady-state analysis; AC circuit analysis; first- and second-order circuits; Bode plots; and use of computer simulation software to solve circuit problems.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Introductory Circuit Analysis. 13th Edition; ISBN-13: 978-0-13-392360-5; Robert L. Boylestad; Pearson

Supplies

1. Graphing Calculator

2. Circuit simulation software (PSpice or similar) 

Student Performance

After completing this course, the student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following topics with 70% accuracy as evaluated by the engineering faculty:  

1. Explain basic electrical concepts, including electric charge, current, electrical potential, electrical power and energy.
2. Apply concepts of electric network topology: nodes, branches, and loops to solve circuit problems, including the use of computer simulation. 
3. Analyze circuits with ideal, independent, and controlled voltage and current sources.
4. Apply Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws to the analysis of electric circuits. 
5. Explain the relationship of voltage and current in resistors, capacitors, inductors, and mutual inductors. 
6. Derive and solve the governing differential equations for a time-domain first-order and second-order circuit, including singularity function source models. 
7. Determine the Thevenin or Norton equivalent of a given network that may include passive devices, dependent sources, and independent sources in combination.
8. Analyze first and second order AC and DC circuits for steady-state and transient response in the time domain and frequency domain.
9. Derive relations for and calculate the gain and input impedance of a given operational amplifier circuit for both DC and frequency domain AC circuits using an ideal operational amplifier model. 
10. Apply computer mathematical and simulation programs to solve circuit problems. 

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Students are expected to behave in the classroom in a manner that is supportive of the learning environment. Behaviors that are not supportive include, but are not limited to: tardiness/leaving early; electronic device noises; texting or using electronic devices for non-course related activities during the lecture; talking during the lecture; abusive, offensive, and/or disrespectful language or demeanor toward AC faculty, staff, students, and/or Amarillo College property.

In order to receive credit for a course, all material listed on the syllabus must be covered. The instructor sets the pace to ensure that these requirements are met. Complaining about the pace will not result in less material being covered.

Students who fail to comply with the standards outlined in the syllabus and/or AC’s Student Rights & Responsibilities document will be subject to disciplinary action which may include, but is not limited to: removal from the classroom; consultation with the Math & Engineering Department Chair and/or other AC authority; withdrawal from the course and/or Amarillo College.

Grading Criteria

The final grades of A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), and F (below 60) will be computed as the average of the earned grades as follows

Assignments/Quizzes - 15%

Exams, 3 @ 20%  - 60% Final Exam – 25 %

Assignments, Quizzes and Tests

Expect weekly assignments and quizzes.  Working and understanding the problems is crucial to understanding the material.  If you want to become an electrical engineer, you must be dedicated to mastering this material.  Practicing the problems is the only way to really understand the material and be able to apply the concepts to other problems.  Suggestion:  Working with others is good since you can learn from others; don't be afraid if you don't know the answers, just keep trying and working hard. Don't hesitate to reach out to me outside of class for help, but you must have made an attempt at the question first.

I will drop your lowest 2 assignment/quiz grade. You must be present to take each quiz and they cannot be made up under any circumstances.

You cannot drop any of the exam grades but your final Exam grade will be used to replace your lowest Exam grade. If you miss two tests, a grade of zero will be given for the test that cannot have the grade replaced. If you are found to have cheated on an exam including helping another student cheat on an exam, you will be given an F for the course.

Absence from an exam will incur a zero unless there is prior communication and approval. Students who miss an exam because of College or business related activities should notify the instructor before the absence occurs.

Grading of Tests: In complex problem analysis, such as those used in this course, there are many opportunities for errors. Thus exams will be graded using "partial credit" as it is recognized that some sections of an individual problem may have been carried out correctly even though the final answer may be incorrect. Partial credit will only be given if the student work is logically developed, with clear and well-marked diagrams, with the appropriate fundamental and auxiliary equations prominently displayed, where the substitutions into the equations are quite clear, and the assumptions used are quite obvious to the grader when grading. That is, it is the student's responsibility to present his/her work so clearly that the grader can quickly ascertain the location and nature of the error(s) and can easily follow the subsequent work through to the now incorrect solution of the problem. Thus, the student's contribution, needed to obtain partial credit, is to be able to clearly lead the grader through the student's thought process on the exam page alone. If this is not quite clear on the work submitted, credit will not be given then nor later. Partial credit is simply not negotiable.

Lifelong Learning Activities Grade

As an engineer, you will need to continue lifelong learning throughout your career. You will attend workshops, tour work sites, interview clients, among other duties. To foster the need for students to work and engage outside of the classroom an LLL activities grade will be factored into your grade.

A list of suggested LLL activities can be found on Blackboard.  You will be responsible for completing four (4) activities this semester. The form will be provided for you in Blackboard and must be submitted through Blackboard. A sign in sheet will be provided at the meeting that you must sign to receive credit. Your report will be cross checked with the sign in sheet.

If it is found that you submitted a report and did not attend the meeting, a grade of 0 will be submitted for your entire activities grade.

If it is discovered that you signed in for another student or allowed another student to sign for you at a meeting, a grade of 0 will be submitted for your activities grade.

1. Attending an approved field trip.  Plans are underway to visit a local electric power company so that classroom theory can be aligned with a practical application. A trip report must be submitted as part of an activities grade.

 

Assignment Format

Handwritten work shall be presented on paper, in pencil, one side only. If an error is made, erase thoroughly. No scratched out work will be accepted. Use the following format:

• In the upper left corner full rectangle box, place the course name, number and section. ENGR 2305-001
• In the far right small square, place the page number: 1/2, 2/2, etc.
• In the rectangular box immediately to the left of the page number, place your first and last name.
• Explicitly state any assumptions that you make.
• Show all significant steps. It should be clear why each step is taken.
• Redraw figures and clearly label as needed with dimensions, labels, and units.
• Underline important intermediate results.
• Box (not circle) final results.
• Review work to be certain all work is neat* and easy to read.

*NOTE: If I can’t read it, I won’t grade it.

Homework sets shall be stapled upper left and then folded in half along a line perpendicular to the long dimension. The student’s name, course and section number (ENGR 1371-002), date, and the problems included shall be placed on the outside sheet with the fold to the left, the holes toward the bottom.

Janie Smith

ENGR 2301-001

Jan. 22, 2025

Problems 2-4, 6, 9

• The Instructor reserves the right to grade any number of problem(s) per assignment.
• Collaboration between students is allowed on problem solving; however, EACH STUDENT must hand in an ORIGINAL, COMPLETE, problem set.
• NO CREDIT will be given for late work. Any homework is due at the beginning of the class period. Once lecture has started none will be accepted. Homework can be submitted early.

Attendance

Attendance is essential for successful completion of this course.  In order to promote consistent attendance, homework is regularly assigned and in-class quizzes may periodically be given.  Late homework is not accepted and in-class quizzes may not be made up.  Homework may be submitted and exams taken in advance when absences are due to a scheduled event.

Please remember the deadline for dropping a class during the Spring 2025 is April 17. If you stop attending class, and do not officially drop the course by this deadline, and your final average is below a 60, you will receive an F for the course. 

Calendar

Additional Information

The best way to contact me is during office hours or via email. Hard work, positive attitude and team work are expected. Remember, as engineers, we are problem solvers!