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Re: electronics texts



At UCSC "we" offered two courses based on H&H using rather closely the first ed.
lab manual ('81). When a new visitor took over the digital course, he taught the
basic stamp. Next the chair, who still teaches the analog (still H&H, '89),
dropped the digital, as the new Engineering school (Computer Science &
Engineering Dept.) coveres it quite well, including sig. processing.

bc

"John S. Denker" wrote:

At 09:41 AM 11/7/01 -0500, Bob Muir wrote:

I have been teaching (for a long time) a course entitled "Electronics
for Scientists"
....

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2) Related point: Under ordinary circumstances, such a course should be

co-listed in the Electrical Engineering department. In this case things

are not so simple, because UNCG doesn't offer any Engineering to speak of:
http://www.uncg.edu/phy/preengineering/preeng.htm

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In general, it is good to have a course in "measurement, signal processing,
and control" and it would be good if a few Electrical Engineering majors
would take the course. It's amazing how many people graduate with EE
degrees without ever having heard of a ground loop, or an instrumentation
preamp, or a bridge, or a ratio transformer, or a lockin amplifier.

The best approach is to have a "cognate" course, i.e. to have it listed
both places:
"Physics 512: Measurement, signal processing, and control"
"EE 512: Measurement, signal processing, and control"

That way it's obvious that EE majors can take it and have it count toward
their major. That makes it clear that it isn't a course in "music
appreciation for people with green hair who aren't qualified to take a real
music-theory course".

Similar remarks apply to courses called "mathematical methods of physics":
they should be co-listed in the math department. This reassures the
students that the faculty has its act together.

3) I have m

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Note that the electronics is usually modular. If you want to teach a
course in how to design high-frequency low-noise instrumentation preamps,
that's OK, but that's a totally different course.

And why mess with digital ICs if you can do what you want with a Stamp?
http://www.stampsinclass.com/
If it's so tricky you can't do it with a Stamp, you probably can't do it in
a one-semester class at all.

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