ECE 320A

Circuit Theory

Fall

Spring

Required Course:

Yes

Course Level

Undergraduate

Units

Prerequisite(s)

MATH 254 and ECE 220

Course Texts

Nilsson, James W., and Susan A. Riedel. Electric Circuits. 10th ed. Prentice Hall, 2015.

Schedule

150 minutes lecture per week

Course Description

Electric circuits in the frequency domain; using sinusoidal steady-state, Laplace and Fourier methods; single-phase and three-phase power; time domain methods and convolution; transformed networks; natural frequencies; poles and zeros; two-port network parameters; Fourier series analysis.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, the student will be able to:

Calculate the complex power, in terms of real and reactive components, in single-phase sinusoidal, steady-state systems
Design a reactive load that improves a system’s power factor
Convert wye-connected reactive loads to delta-connected reactive loads and vice versa
Solve for line currents, line voltages, phase currents, and phase voltages in arbitrarily interconnected balanced, three-phase circuits
Convert a given electrical circuit into its s-domain equivalent representation
Apply the Laplace transform operator to generic waveforms and calculate the inverse Laplace transform of a given s-domain function
Solve for currents and voltages in generic RLC circuits
Model RLC circuits with transfer functions.
Calculate the output waveform from an input waveform and a system’s transfer function
Apply the initial value and final value theorems
Convolve two waveforms
Design simple passive frequency selective filters
Sketch the Bode diagrams associated with a transfer function
Design active frequency selective filters
Develop a Fourier series expansion for a periodic waveform
Calculate, using the Fourier series concept, a linear system’s output response when a periodic input waveform is applied to the linear system, if time permits

Course Topics

Sinusoidal steady-state power calculations (5 classes)
Balanced three-phase circuits (3 classes)
Introduction to the Laplace transform (4 classes)
The Laplace transform in circuit analysis (6 classes)
Convolution (3 classes)
Bode plots and frequency response (2 classes)
Introduction to frequency-selective circuits (1 class)
Active filter circuits (2 classes)

Relationship to Student Outcomes

ECE 320A contributes directly to the following specific electrical and computer engineering student outcomes of the ECE department:

Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering (high)
Ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints, such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability and sustainability (low)
Ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems (high)
Have the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context (low)

Syllabus Prepared By

Steven L. Dvorak, Hal Tharp; 03/03/16