Course Syllabus
Department: Science & Technology
Date: 01-15-2013
I. Course Prefix and Number: ESC 222
Course Name: Electric Circuits
Credit Hours and Contact Hours: 4 credit hrs (3 lec hrs, 2 lab hrs)
Catalog Description including pre- and co-requisites: supporting data required for grade
prerequisite of ‘C’ or higher. This course is designed as the introductory course in linear circuit
analysis normally offered to engineering students in the sophomore year. It provides an
introduction to the theory of circuit analysis. Subject areas include basic circuit quantities,
voltage and current sources, purely resistive circuits, Kirchhoff's Laws, equivalent
resistances, nodal analysis, loop analysis, linearity, source transformation, Thevenin and
Norton theorems, capacitance and inductance, RC, RL, and RLC circuits, sinusoidal
response, phasors, power. An introduction to op-amps is included. There is a strong
emphasis on problem solving and many examples will be worked in class. Homework will
be assigned at each class.
Prerequisite: PHY 152.
Relationship to Academic Programs and Curriculum including SUNY Gen Ed
designation if applicable:
This course is primarily a required course for the A.S. in Engineering Science program.
Other students from other programs may also take the course if they have the appropriate
background.
II. Course Student Learning Outcomes: State the student learning outcome(s) for the course (e.g.
Student will be able to identify…)
Upon completion of the course the student will be able to:
1. Determine the voltage and current in simple resistive networks containing dependent or
independent sources by applying a variety of techniques, such as nodal analysis, mesh
analysis, source transformation, superposition, and Thevenin's equivalent circuit.
2. Solve circuit problems containing operational amplifiers.
3. Determine the natural, forced or step response of an RC, RL, or RLC circuit.
4. Carry out the analysis of an ac circuit by using the complex numbers.
5. Use a digital multimeter, function generator, and an oscilloscope.
6. Analyze a circuit using a simulation tool such as MultiSim.
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College Learning Outcomes Addressed by the Course: (check each College Learning
Outcome addressed by the Student Learning Outcomes)
writing
oral communications
reading
mathematics
critical thinking
computer literacy
ethics/values
citizenship
global concerns
information resources
III. Assessment Measures (Summarize how the college and student learning outcomes
will be assessed): For each identified outcome checked, please provide the specific assessment
measure.
List identified College Learning Outcomes(s)
Specific assessment measure(s)
eg: writing
eg: student will complete a research paper
Mathematics
Student will answer specific test questions
correctly
Critical Thinking
Student will answer specific test questions
correctly
Computer Literacy
Student will complete a lab report
IV. Instructional Materials and Methods
Types of Course Materials:
Current edition of James W. Nillson, "Electric Circuits", is used as the textbook. Instructor
notes are used as the supplemental source of information for the course content.
Each student is required to have a scientific calculator.
A course website is maintained on the internet for lecture schedule, test solutions, and
other supplemental learning material.
Lab software MultiSim is available on select school computers.
Methods of Instruction (e.g. Lecture, Lab, Seminar …):
Main avenue used to convey knowledge to the student are lectures. They are presented in
the traditional way, using either whiteboard or smartboard, supplemented with models,
material samples, or power point presentations.
Plenty of example problems are solved in class and the students are allowed to practice the
problem solutions through various homework assignments.
Weekly lab sessions are used to reinforce the theory by allowing the students to carry out
hands-on activities with actual circuits, electrical components, and instruments.
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V. General Outline of Topics Covered:
Introduction, voltage, current, power, energy, ideal basic circuit element
Voltage and current sources, electrical resistance, Ohm's law
Kirchhoff's laws, circuit with dependent source
Resistors in series and parallel, voltage and current divider circuits
Ammeter, voltmeter, ohmmeter circuits, Wheatstone bridge, delta-to-wye circuits
Basic Node-voltage method
Node-voltage method with dependent sources and some special cases
Basic Mesh-current method
Mesh-current method with dependent sources and some special cases
Source transformations, Thevenin, Norton equivalent circuits
Maximum power transfer, superposition
Topology in circuit analysis, topological approach to node-voltage
Topological approach to loop-current method
Application of circuit simulation tool MultiSim
The operational amplifier, inverting, summing, noninverting, difference amplifier circuits
An equivalent circuit for the operational amplifier
Inductor and capacitor
Series and parallel combinations of inductors and capacitors
The natural response of RL and RC circuits
Step response of RL and RC circuits
General solution for step and natural responses, sequential switching
Natural response of parallel RLC circuit
Step response of parallel RLC circuit
Natural and step responses of a series RLC circuit
The sinusoidal source, the sinusoidal response
The phasor, passive circuit elements in the phasor domain
Kirchoff's laws, series, parallel, delta-to-wye simplifications in phasor domain
Source transformations, Thevenin-Norton equivalent circuits in phasor domain
The node-voltage and mesh-current method in the phasor domain
Use and understanding of oscilloscopes
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