Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Hendry

Pre-requisite(s): EG 1008

Co-requisite(s): EG 1503

• Charges, charge per unit length, area and volume, dimensional analysis, forces on charges, Coulomb’s law, Millikan’s experiment, electric field and its units, work on a charged particle, voltage and its relation to electric field. Voltages and electric fields at the surface of a conductor. The parallel plate capacitor, Q=CV, forces on parallel plates; Electrostatic energy; dielectrics; Capacitors as circuit components, ac impedance. The electrostatic loudspeaker. (5 lectures)


• Magnetic fields, magnets and compasses; Magnetic field due to a current carrying conductor; Visualising magnetic fields; Forces on a current carrying conductor; simple DC electric motors; The Earth’s magnetic field; Magnetostatic energy; simple magnetic materials; the inductor, ac impedance the solenoid; the transformer . (7 lectures)


• Semiconductor devices: semiconductors, dopants, p-type, n-type, the p-n junction and the diode equation; the photodiode, camera sensors, opto-isolator; the bipolar transistor and its circuit behaviour; the common emitter amplifier; FETs and the MOSFET, simple logic circuits (inverter, NAND, NOR); the Thyristor and the Triac. (8 lectures)


• The SPICE circuit simulator; entering a simple circuit; types of analyses; (3 lectures)


• Circuit theory: Kirchoff’s laws and examples of their application; Thevenin and a better common emitter amp; Norton; Applications to operational amplifier circuits; Differentiating circuits, integrating circuits. (5 lectures)


• The light shield design example, use of a photodiode to detect incoming light as a means of protecting a “priceless artefact” using a solenoid and mechanical slotted device. (2 lectures)

30 one-hour lectures, 12 one-hour tutorials and 5 two-hour laboratory/design sessions.  Detailed schedules are provided separately.

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (80%) and continuous assessment based on laboratory/design exercises (20%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (80%) and continuous assessment based on laboratory/design exercises (20%).