Course Syllabus
ECE 309 – Numerical Methods in Electrical Engineering
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
1. Course Number and Name:
2. Credit Units/Contact Hours:
3. Course Coordinator:
ECE 309 – Numerical Methods in Electrical
Engineering
2/6
Debbie van Alphen
4. Text, References & Software
Required Texts:
Getting Started with MATLAB, Rudra Pratap, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0-19-9731244 (paperback), 2010
Additional References:
No Additional Text
Software:
MATLAB, Excel
5. Specific Course Information
a. Description
This course introduces numerical techniques implemented in MATLAB for the solution of
problems in electrical and computer engineering. Topics covered include an introduction to
MATLAB, number representation and error analysis, interpolation and curve-fitting, and
numerical solutions to systems of linear equations, root finding, differentiation and integration,
and basic statistics. (Two 3-hour labs per week)
b. Prerequisite by Topic
Students taking this course are expected to have passed all of the math courses required of
engineers (calculus and differential equations), a basic knowledge of computer programming
(ECE 206/L or Comp 110/L), and electrical circuits (ECE 240 at CSUN, or any equivalent level
circuits course). Prior experience with MATLAB is not required.
C. Required Course
6. Specific Goals for the Course
a. Specific Outcomes of Instructions – After completing this course the students should be able to:
1. Understand and estimate errors due to round-off and truncation; understand error propagation
and numerical instability;
2. Perform data analysis using interpolation, extrapolation, and curve-fitting, including
quantification of the degree of fit;
3. Solve linear systems of equations using Gaussian elimination and Gauss-Seidel iteration;
4. Use bisection and Newton-Raphson techniques to find approximate roots of non-linear
equations, and analyze the errors;
5. Calculate approximate derivatives and finite integrals;
6. Apply numerical techniques to solve ordinary differential equations;
7. Use MATLAB to visualize data and to solve problems described by the above course objectives;
8. Demonstrate the communication skills required by the department’s rubrics for oral and written
reports.
b. Relationship to Student Outcomes
This course supports the achievement of the following student outcomes:
a. An ability to apply knowledge of math, science, and engineering to the analysis of electrical
and computer engineering problems.
b. An ability to design and conduct scientific and engineering experiments, as well as to analyze
and interpret data.
e. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve electrical and computer engineering problems.
g. An ability to communicate effectively through written reports and oral presentations.
k. An ability to use modern engineering techniques for analysis and design.
n. Knowledge of math including differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables and
discrete math.
7. Topics Covered/Course Outline
1. Introduction to MATLAB
2. Error Analysis: round-off errors and truncation errors in numerical computations, error
propagation, and numerical instability
3. Interpolation, Extrapolation, and Curve-fitting
4. Solving Systems of Linear Equations
5. Root-finding for Non-linear Equations
6. Numerical Differentiation and Integration
7. Numerical Solutions to Ordinary Differential Equations
Prepared by:
Debbie van Alphen, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, November 2011
Ali Amini, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, March 2013