525.201.81 - Circuits, Devices and Fields

Course Structure

Because this course surveys a large amount of material, it is taught by multiple instructors with different teaching styles. Generally, each assignment is unlocked on the Friday before the start of the module and the corresponding assignments are due on Sunday night nine days later. This overlap is intentional to allow students, most of whom are working professionals, full flexibility in using weekends to complete the modules. During fall semesters, the assignments for Module 1 and 2 are given an extended deadline due to the Labor Day holiday.

Course Topics

• Fundamentals of Mathematics
• DC Circuits
• AC Circuits
• Basic Concepts of Electronics
• MOS Transistors
• Gauss's Law for Electric Fields
• Electric Potential and Gauss's Law for Magnetic Fields
• Faraday's Law of Electric Induction
• The Ampere-Maxwell Law
• Maxwell's Equations and the Wave Equation
• Digital Circuits

Course Goals

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

• Use the fundamental principles of Calculus, differentiation and integration, to solve basic problems that are typical of those encountered in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
• Solve basic electrical circuit problems and apply those techniques to more advanced circuits.
• Analyze and design basic electronic circuits.
• Relate gravitational and electric fields and thus understand the concept of a field.
• Demonstrate a physical understanding of Stokes' theorem and the Laplacian operator.
• Calculate the charge or charge density using the concepts of flux density.
• Relate electric potential and electric field and work.
• Describe the coupling of magnetic and electric fields for dynamic fields.
• Describe wave behavior with common parameters.
• Calculate wave propagation and field structure.
• Calculate current flow in conductors.
• Work with power transfer via EM waves.
• Describe and calculate wave behavior at material boundaries.
• Calculate some of the quantities associated with antennas.
• Recognize a digital signal and describe its fundamental difference from an analog signal.
• Construct and analyze a variety of basic digital circuits.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Efficiently solve standard calculus problems involving differentiation and integration.
• Analyze a bipolar and MOSFET amplifier using a dependent source model and determine the gain.
• Derive the wave equation from Maxwell's equation.
• Construct a digital logic circuits that can 1) control a seven-segment display and 2) generate a pseudo-random number.

Textbooks

Required

Cathey, J. J. (2002). Schaum's Outline of Electronic Devices and Circuits (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

ISBN-10: 0071398309

ISBN-13: 9780071398305

O'Malley, J. (2011). Schaum's Outline of Basic Circuit Analysis (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

ISBN-10: 0071756434

ISBN-13: 9780070478244

Note: This appears to be a reprint of a version of this book from 1992 (ISBN-10: 0070478244).  The 1992 version tends to be cheaper but less available as a new copy.  Either is sufficient for the purposes of this course.

Fleisch., Daniel. (2008). A Students Guide to Maxwell’s Equations, Cambridge U.K, Cambridge University Press.

ISBN-10: 0521701473

ISBN-13: 9780521701471

Tokheim, R. L. (1994). Schaum's Outline of Digital Principles (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

ISBN-10: 0070650500

ISBN-13: 9780070650503

Optional

Mendelson, E. (2007). Schaum's 3,000 Solved Problems in Calculus (Schaum's Outlines) (1st ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

ISBN-10: 0071635343

ISBN-13: 978-0071635349

Note: This text provides many solved problems that can aide a student in rediscovering some of the nuances associated with solving classic Calculus problems. Most students find that the lecture videos, discussion forums, their references from a previous exposure to Calculus, and/or the multitude of online resources are sufficient for completing the assignments associated with the Calculus Fundamentals portion of the course (Modules 1 and 2). This text is marked optional and included in the adopted texts for this course because it is a useful reference, but the cost-conscious student who has (or can readily gain access to) other resources can likely save the expense.

Required Software

MATLAB

You will need access to a recent version of MATLAB. A license is provided at no cost to you, through JHU.

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that the class will take approximately 7–20 hours per week depending on students' preparation and familiarity with the subject matter prior to the course.

This course will consist of two basic student requirements:

Preparation and Participation (Class Discussions) (10% of Final Grade Calculation)

Each student is responsible for carefully reading all assigned material and being prepared for discussion. Post your responses to discussion questions by three days after the module begins. Posting a response to the discussion question is part one of your grade for Class Discussions (i.e., Timeliness).

Part two of your grade for Class Discussion is your interaction (i.e., responding to classmate postings with thoughtful responses) with at least two classmates (i.e., Critical Thinking).

Evaluation of preparation and participation is based on contribution to discussions.

Preparation and participation is evaluated by the following grading elements:

1. Timeliness (50%)
2. Critical Thinking (50%)

Preparation and participation is graded as follows:

100-90 = A—Timeliness [regularly participates; all required postings; early in discussion; throughout the discussion]; Critical Thinking [rich in content; full of thoughts, insight, and analysis].

89–80 = B—Timeliness [frequently participates; all required postings; some not in time for others to read and respond]; Critical Thinking [substantial information; thought, insight, and analysis has taken place].

79–70 = C—Timeliness [infrequently participates; all required postings; most at the last minute without allowing for response time]; Critical Thinking [generally competent; information is thin and commonplace].

Assignments (90% of Final Grade Calculation)

Basic problems will be assigned from the instructors that are similar to the ones covered in the Module. The Assignments are expected to be completed and submitted in PDF format before the deadline to the Assignment of the appropriate Module.

Late submissions will be reduced by 10% grade for each day late. The instructors are happy to accommodate students with extensions when needed due to any reasonable life/work circumstance, but we greatly appreciate coordination prior to the due date of the assignment.

Assignments are evaluated out of 100 points. The score will be based solely on the technical accuracy of the answers given for each question/problem, which must include a description of the calculations made and methods used. To receive partial points for technically incorrect answers, the student must show their reasoning of why certain equations were used or particular values assigned to the variables in the equations. Technically incorrect answers without any explanation to support them will result in no points.

Assignments are graded as follows:

100–90 = A—Question is repeated in full; All parts of question are addressed; Writing Quality/ Rationale/ Examples/ Outside References [rich in content; full of thought, insight, and analysis].

89–80 = B—Question is repeated in full; All parts of the question are addressed; Writing Quality/ Rationale/ Examples/ Outside References [substantial information; thought, insight, and analysis has taken place].

79–70=C—Question is repeated in full; Majority of parts of the question are addressed; Writing Quality/ Rationale/ Examples/ Outside References [generally competent; information is thin and commonplace].

<70=F—Question is not repeated in full; Some parts of the question are addressed; Writing Quality/ Rationale/ Examples/ Outside References [rudimentary and superficial; no analysis or insight displayed].

Grading Policy

This class employs Traditional Letter Grading (A, B, C, D, F).  Timely feedback on students’ performance is an established learning tool, so we will endeavor to grade and return to you, as quickly as possible, all material that you submit.

Assignment will normally be graded and returned via the website before the next assignment is due.  If you do not receive a grade on assignments that you have turned in, please ask of its whereabouts; it may need to be resubmitted.

A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week.

A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

100-80 = A*

79-60 = B*

59-50 = C

*The instructor staff reserves the right to adjust the scale if the distribution of students’ grades warrant adjustment.

Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:

Course Evaluation

Near the conclusion of each term, Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals (JH-EP) administers a course evaluation to all enrolled students. Seven (7) days prior to the last day of this course, students will receive an email with an invitation them to complete an online course evaluation.
For a period of twenty-eight (28) days following the last day of the course, students will not have access to their final grade until they complete the evaluation. As soon as they complete the survey, or after that twenty-eight-day span has passed, whichever comes first, they will be able to see their final grade.
The identity of students completing the Course and Instructor Evaluation of Educational Quality is completely confidential. The independent company running the survey will collect the student responses and will not reveal their identities to anyone at JH-EP.

The course instructors deeply appreciate and respond to constructive feedback on how to improve this course.

Course Policies

Assignments are expected to be submitted via Canvas prior to the assignment due date.  The assignment will be considered late if it is received after that time. Any course content that is delayed or rescheduled by the course instructional staff will be accompanied by an easing of this policy to allow for a reasonable timeline for the students to complete assignments. 

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.