Physics 261 Fall, 2012 Syllabus
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Date   Item # Topic Reading
28-Aug   Lecture 1 Intro, course requirements, charge/voltage/current/resistance Ch. 2
30-Aug   Lab 1 The Art of Electrical Measurements resistor codes
          Ch. 15
31-Aug   Homework 1 Solution HW 1
04-Sep   Lecture 2 Circuit diagrams, Kirchoff's laws, series & parallel Ch. 3
06-Sep   Lab 2 Ohm's and Kirchoff's Laws Ch. 3
07-Sep   Homework 2 Solution HW 2
11-Sep   Lecture 3 voltage & current division, node voltage analysis Ch. 4
13-Sep   Lab 3 Voltage and Current Division Ch. 18
14-Sep   Homework 3 Solution HW 3
18-Sep   Lecture 4 Node voltage analysis (revisited), Thevenin & Norton equivalents Ch. 6
20-Sep   Lab 4 Thevenin & Norton equivalents  
21-Sep   Homework 4 Solution HW 4
25-Sep   Lecture 5 Exam Review  
        Practice Exam Solution
27-Sep   Lab 5 Exam 1 (lectures 1-4) at 10am & 12pm solution
28-Sep   Homework 5   No HW
02-Oct   Lecture 6 Semiconductors, diodes & transistors Ch. 41-42 (skim ch.40)
04-Oct   Lab 6 Introduction to the Transistor  
05-Oct   Homework 6 Solution HW 6
09-Oct   Lecture 7 The Operational Amplifier Ch. 28 (skim ch.31)
11-Oct   Lab 7 Introduction to the Op Amp  
12-Oct   Homework 7 Solution HW 7
16-Oct   Lecture 8 Basic circuits using the Op Amp Ch. 29 (stop at p. 260)
18-Oct   Lab 8 Circuit Loading and the Op Amp  
19-Oct   Homework 8 Solution HW 8
23-Oct   Lecture 9 Comparators and the Schmitt Trigger Ch. 34
25-Oct   Lab   Soldering practice Soldering Tutorial
25-Oct   (during lab)   Exam Review (click for practice exam) solution
26-Oct   Homework 9 Solution HW 9
30-Oct   Lecture Exam 2 (lectures 6-9, Chs. 41-42, 28-29, 34)  
        Exam 2 Solution  
01-Nov   Lecture 10 Lecture during lab: Complex numbers Ch. 51
02-Nov       (see next week for HW on complex numbers) No HW
06-Nov   Election Day   No School  
08-Nov   Lab 9-I Headphone Amplifier I: Build & Test  
09-Nov   Homework 10 Solution HW 11
13-Nov   Lecture 1 Alternating current Ch. 7
15-Nov   Lab 9-II Headphone Amplifier II: Performance Ch. 17
16-Nov   Homework 11 Solution HW 12
20-Nov   Lecture 2 Capacitors, inductors and impedance Ch. 8
22-Nov   Thanksgiving No School  
23-Nov   HW [due Wed, Nov 28] 12 Solution HW 13
27-Nov   Lecture 3 AC circuit analysis and resonance Ch. 9-10
        Handout: dimensionless numbers and logarithmic axes  
29-Nov   Lab 10 Sinusoidal forcing & impedance  
30-Nov   Homework 13 Solution HW 14
04-Dec   Lecture 4 Step functions and transient analysis Ch. 12-13
06-Dec   Lab 11 Exponential waveforms & capacitance  
07-Dec   Homework 14 Solution HW 15
11-Dec   7:00-9:00 pm   Review Session (note location: EPS 258)  
    EPS 258   Practice problems solution
13-Dec   12:00-1:50 pm Roberts 412   Final Exam (cumulative, but emphasizes lectures 10-14)  
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