Physics 261 Fall, 2025 Syllabus
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Date   Item # Topic Reading
20-Aug   Lab   No Lab This Week!  
21-Aug   Lecture 1 Intro, course requirements. Charge, voltage, current Review your PHSX 242 text on these topics.
22-Aug   Homework 1 Solutions HW 1
26-Aug   Lecture 2 Resistance, Ohm's Law, Power Ch. 2
27-Aug   Lab 1 The Art of Electrical Measurements resistor codes + Ch.15
28-Aug   Lecture 3 Circuit diagrams, Kirchoff's laws  
29-Aug   Homework 2 Solutions HW 2
2-Sep   Lecture 4 Series & parallel Ch. 3
3-Sep   Lab 2 Ohm's and Kirchoff's Laws Ch. 3
4-Sep   Lecture 5 Voltage & Current Division, Node Voltage Analysis Ch. 4
5-Sep   Homework 3 Solutions HW 3
9-Sep   Lecture 6 Thevenin & Norton Equivalents  
10-Sep   Lab 3 Voltage and Current Division Ch. 18
11-Sep   Lecture 7 Examples—NVA, etc. Ch. 6
12-Sep   Homework 4 Solutions HW 4
16-Sep   Lecture 8 The Wheatstone Bridge  
17-Sep   Lab 4 Thevenin & Norton equivalents  
18-Sep   Lecture 9 Review  
19-Sep   Homework 5 Solutions HW 5
23-Sep   Lecture 10 Exam 1 solutions Exam 1
24-Sep   Lab 5-I Lab make-up session  
25-Sep   Lecture 11 Semiconductors and Diodes Ch. 41 (skim ch. 40)
26-Sep   Homework 6 Solutions HW 6
30-Sep   Lecture 12 Transistors (BJT) Chs. 42, 44 (skim 43)
1-Oct   Lab 6 Introduction to the Transistor  
2-Oct   Lecture 13 Transistors (FET) Ch. 45
3-Oct   Homework 7 Solutions HW 7
7-Oct   Lecture 14 The Operational Amplifier Ch. 28
8-Oct   Lab 7 Introduction to the Op Amp  
9-Oct   Lecture 15 Elementary Op Amp Applications Ch. 29
10-Oct   Homework 8 Solutions HW 8
14-Oct   Lecture 16 Revisiting transistors and op amps  
15-Oct   Lab 8 Circuit Loading and the Op Amp  
16-Oct   Lecture 17 Comparators Ch. 34
17-Oct   Homework 9 Solutions HW 9
21-Oct   Lecture 18 The Schmitt Trigger  
22-Oct   Lab S Soldering Soldering Tutorial
23-Oct   Lecture 19 Exam 2 Review  
24-Oct   Homework 10 Solutions HW 10
28-Oct   Lecture 20 Exam 2 solutions Exam 2
29-Oct   Lab 9-I Headphone Amplifier I: Build & Test  
30-Oct   Lecture 21 Complex Numbers Ch. 51
31-Oct   Homework 11 Solutions HW 11
4-Nov   Lecture 22 Alternating Current (AC) Ch. 7
5-Nov   Lab 5-II Lab make-up session  
6-Nov   Lecture 23 Capacitors, Inductors, & Impedance Ch. 8
7-Nov   Homework 12 Solutions HW 12
11-Nov   Veterans Day    No classes  
12-Nov   Lab 9-II Headphone Amplifier II: Performance  
13-Nov   Lecture 24 Impedance, continued  
14-Nov   Homework 13 Solutions HW 13
18-Nov   Lecture 25 AC Circuit Analysis Ch. 9
19-Nov   Lab 10 Sinusoidal Forcing & Impedance  
20-Nov   Lecture 26 Resonance Ch. 10
21-Nov   Homework 14 Solutions HW 14
Nov 24-28 MSU Fall Break      
2-Dec   Lecture 27 Step Functions & Transient Analysis Ch. 12-13
3-Dec   Lab 14 Exponential Waveforms & Capacitance  
4-Dec   Lecture 28 Exam Review  
5-Dec   Homework 15 Solutions HW 15
13-Dec   10:00-12:00 Roberts 121   Final Exam (cumulative)  
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