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Analog Signal Processing

In chapter 3 of the Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering 1 textbook, Dr. Johnson covers the basics of circuits. Covering in a single chapter something that many other textbooks are completely dedicated to, we learn about all of the different circuit elements, power sources, and how they all work together.

Starting with voltage, current, and power, we learn about the different aspects of electricity – the voltage potential that drives current, the current which is the actual flow of electrons, and power, which is the rate at which energy is transferred. We then learn more about the different circuit elements that have been developed which affect the voltage, current, and power. The difference between the ideal and real circuit elements are discussed, and when you can ignore real world deficiencies and when they need to be taken into account. There are passive circuit elements and active circuit elements, as well as linear circuit elements and non-linear circuit elements. From resistors, capacitors, and inductors to diodes, transistors, and operational amplifiers, there are a lot of different available circuit elements. They’re all treated differently and we need to figure out how they work.

These circuit elements don’t work in a vacuum, they’re all connected together and the way they’re connected make significant differences in how the incoming signals are affected. Once we learn how they’re connected, we also figure out how we put them together in series and parallel and create equivalent circuits that can sometimes simplify our calculations. The difference between resistance and impedance is also briefly covered.

Again, this chapter provides a quick, relatively high-level view of circuits, and is a great start and also an interesting take on circuits from a system’s perspective.

 

This textbook is open source. Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/778e36af-4c21-4ef7-9c02-dae860eb7d14@9.72.

 
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