Physics 203 Syllabus
Advent 2007
Dr. Randolph Peterson
Woods 223
Office Hours: WF 2:00-3:00, Th 2:00-3:00, anytime that you find me
This course will examine the major active and passive electronic components, focusing on their use in standard scientific and engineering circuits. By testing and experimenting with these electronic devices we will explore the simple models of potential differences and current flow. This extensive experimentation will improve your skills and theoretical understanding of electronics to a level that will allow you to meet the challenges of the advanced electronic projects near the end of the course. After completing this course, you will be able to creatively pursue any of your experimental ideas through the design, building, or assembly of the necessary electronic circuits.
The text for this course is Principles of Electronic Instrumentation by Diefenderfer and Holton.
Grading Policy:
Your final letter grade will be determined from the following grading scale,
Scale: 92 - 97 A 98 - 100 A+, 90, 91 A-
82 - 87 B 88, 89 B+, 80, 81 B-
72 - 77 C 78, 79 C+
Your lecture grade will be determined from periodic examinations of your laboratory and homework notebooks. You must receive a passing grade on every examination of your notebooks to pass the course. If your notebooks pass all the examinations, you will receive a final lecture average of 72. If you do not pass all the examinations of your notebooks, you will be given an F in the course. Should you not receive a passing grade on a particular examination of your notebooks, you may correct or complete the work and resubmit your book (no later than one week later) for re-grading.
Although a final lecture average of 72 may not appear to be attractive, you may increase your final lecture average with extra credit points from two term papers, a midterm exam, and a final exam.
Exams
The exams are for extra credit only. All extra credit points will be added to your final lecture average. The amount of extra credit is based on the following schedule:
A (90 - 100) 7 points extra-credit
B (80 - 89) 3 points extra-credit
C (70 - 79) 1 point extra-credit
D or F (below 70) no points extra-credit
Each exam is a closed-book, closed-note exam. The questions on the exams will be based upon examples worked in class or given as homework assignments. All calculated results must be given in proper SI units, using scientific notation. It is expected that you will know the definitions of all SI units and the conversions between SI units, if those units have been used in class or on homework problems.
Term Papers
Up to two term papers may be submitted for extra credit, in the same manner as an exam. The papers must be a discussion of an experiment that you have performed using a Macintosh computer with LabVIEW. The data should be acquired through a serial port of the Macintosh under control of a LabVIEW program that you write. Your experiment must measure the physical properties or motion of some situation to be studied by your experiment
One paper must be your proposal with details of the circuit, its anticipated performance, and a sample LabVIEW program. It is due in class on November 21, and will be returned (accepted, rejected, or to be altered) by November 26. Your proven expertise (from attendance at LabVIEW tutorials) with LabVIEW along with your accepted proposal will constitute a "term paper" for grading purposes. Your completed project along with a written report on the results of the project will constitute another "term paper" for grading purposes. It is possible to earn up to 14 points extra credit on this project.
Laboratory
We will spend most of this semester exploring electronics in a lab setting. Each day's lecture will include some experiment which must be finished before the next lecture period. I want you to record notes on these exercises, as well as the data that you collect. Please finish the analysis of the data in your lab notebook. This information will form the basis of discussion in the next lecture period. I will collect these notebooks periodically and assign a grade based on the quality and completeness of your work (but not based on the neatness of the lab book).
Homework
Problems from Principles of Electronic Instrumentation may be assigned to help you develop insight into this semester's circuits. These problems may be included on the exams. You should work these as the semester progresses to prepare for the extra credit exams and to develop your analytical skills.
Attendance
Attendance in lecture is required, according to normal university policy. It is your responsibility to turn in material by the announced due dates and to provide your lab notebook at the requested times for grading. Late material will be accepted only by prior approval of this instructor. Without such approval, you must present a letter from a doctor, lawyer, etc. describing the reasons for your absence. Late material may be accepted under these conditions.
Course of Study
This course is an introduction to and a survey of D.C. and A.C. circuits, and the many electronic components used in electrical circuits. It is not a complete coverage of electronics, but it will provide ample opportunity for each student develop confidence and skill in creating circuits to solve scientific and engineering problems. Below is an outline of the most of the circuits and components that we will study this semester.
1. Intro to digital multimeter, resistors
2. Ohm's law for resistors
3. Voltage divider with two resistors, potentiometers
4. Kirchhoff's law and Thevenin's equivalences for resistors
5. Batteries and bulbs
6. Intro to capacitors and code, RC time constant
7. IV curves for diodes - switching, Ge, Si, LED, Zener
8. 2N2222 transistor, beta
9. 2N2222 Transistor switch
10. JFET characteristic curve
11. JFET switch, drain curve
12. Logic gates from transistors
13. Oscilloscope as a voltmeter, AC frequencies and amplitudes
14. TTL logic gates
15. RS flip flop
16. Other flip flops
17. Drivers, displays, counters
18. Crystal oscillators
19. Reactance and impedance R, L, C
20. RC filter, voltage divider, phase shift in AC circuits
21. RLC series and parallel resonance circuits
22. JFET amplifier
23. Transistor amplifier
24. Emitter follower amplifier
25. Oscillators and positive feedback
26. Op-amp inverting and non-inverting
27. Op-amp adder
28. Op-amp common-mode rejection, Schmitt trigger
29. Op-amp oscillator
30. Transformers and power supplies
31-33. Introduction to LabView interfacing, development of project proposals
34. Shift registers
35. Synchronous and asynchronous counters
36. Digital to Analog converters
37. Analog to digital converters
38-40. Project development
41. Project demonstration