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NUS: Circuits for Beginners

This course introduces DC (direct current) circuits and is typically the first course an undergraduate student in electrical engineering would take. We learn about voltage, current, and power, while building and analyzing progressively more complex circuits. We also learn about typical electrical test equipment; this course is not merely a “whiteboard-style” course, but we actually build and measure a number of real circuits.

6 weeks
2–3 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
This course is archived

About this course

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We start from the very beginning in electronics. What is voltage? What does it physically mean? What is current? What happens in a circuit and how can things like power consumption be calculated?

In this course we learn how to analyze circuits through a variety of methods, including the Kirchoff voltage and current laws, superposition, Node Voltage Analysis, Thevenin’s Theorem and concepts such as impedance matching and maximum power transfer. These are useful to predict the performance of circuits.

We look at various types of equipment used for electrical circuit measurements, including power supplies, multimeters, oscilloscopes, and function generators. At the end of the course, students will be able to use resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, and batteries in circuits as well as analyse and design circuits containing these components. One of the circuits built in the course is a light sensing circuit.

At a glance

  • Institution: NUS
  • Subject: Engineering
  • Level: Introductory
  • Prerequisites:

    No prerequisites in electronics needed. Students need an understanding of calculus (i.e., how to take a derivative).

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Transistor, Capacitors, Electrical Networks, Test Equipment, Voltage, Function Generator, Electrical Engineering, Inductors, Oscilloscope, Multimeters, Impedance Matching, Resistors

What you'll learn

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  • What is voltage?
  • What is current?
  • What is power?
  • How are these calculated?
  • Circuit analysis methods
  • Electrical measurement equipment
  • How to calculate voltage, current, and power
  • How to use resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes in circuits
  • Impedance matching
  • How to transfer maximum power in a circuit
  • How to choose components (power ratings)

Week Theme

1. Introduction

2. Resistors, Kirchoff’s Voltage and Current Laws

3. Linear Circuit Analysis

4. Capacitors, Inductors, and LEDs

5. Time Dependence in Circuits

6. Thevenin-Equivalent Circuits/Input and Output Impedance

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