Chapter 1
Introduction

Hints on Problem Solving
First
Make a sketch
Mark on it what you want to know
Identify what you are trying to determine
This will help you organize your thoughts

Hints on Problem Solving
Second
Identify principles involved in the problem
Look for relationships that connect unknown and known quantities

Hints on Problem Solving
Third
Decide which equations should be used
Substitute known information into selected equations and solve for unknown quantity

Hints on Problem Solving
Fourth
Check answer by substituting it into original equation
Ask yourself, “Does the answer seem reasonable?”

Hints on Problem Solving
Finally
Is it in the “right ballpark”?
Are units on both sides of the equations correct?

SI System of Units
Length
Meter (m)
Mass
Kilogram (kg)
Time
Second (s)

SI System of Units
Electric Current
Ampere (A)
Temperature
Kelvin (K)
Amount of a substance
Mole (mol)

Relative Size of the Units
1 meter is about 1 yard
1 inch is about 2½ centimeters
1 newton is about the force required to lift a ½-pound weight

Relative Size of the Units
Raising a ½-pound weight 1 meter in 1 s requires about 1 watt
Room temperature is about 35 degrees Celsius or about 300 degrees kelvin

Converting Units
Convert 60 miles/hour to km/hr
Convert 60 miles/hour to m/s
A circle has radius of 6 inches
Determine the area in square meters

Power of Ten Notation
For very large and very small numbers
35 000 = 3.5 × 104 or 35 × 103
458 000 = 4.58 × 105 or 458 × 103
0.000 042 = 4.2 × 10-5 or 42 × 10-6
0.000 159 = 1.59 x 10-4 or 159 x 10-6

Powers of Ten
To multiply numbers in power of 10 notation
Multiply their base numbers
Add their exponents (e.g., 103 x 105 = 108)

Powers of Ten
To divide numbers in power of 10 notation
Divide their base numbers
Subtract their exponents (top - bottom) (e.g.,109/103 = 106)

Power of Ten Notation
To add or subtract, adjust all numbers to  same power of ten
It does not matter what exponent you choose, as long as they are all the same

Power of Ten Notation
For example
3 x 104 + 5 x 103 = 35 x 103 (changing both powers of 10 to 3)
Or
3 x 104 + 5 x 103 = 3.5 x 104 (changing both powers of 10 to 4)

Power of Ten Notation
Raising a number to a power is a form of multiplication
(4 × 103)2  =  (4 × 103)(4 × 103)
     =  16 × 106
Fractional powers represent roots

Prefixes
Scientific Notation
24 700 = 2.47 × 104
0.000 046 = 4.6 × 10-5

Prefixes
Engineering Notation
Uses only powers that are factors of 3
24 700 = 24.7 × 103
0.000 046 = 46 × 10-6

Prefixes
Metric Prefixes are used for convenience

Significant Digits and Numerical Accuracy
Significant digits
Digits that carry information
It is a common error to show more digits of accuracy than are warranted

Significant Digits and Numerical Accuracy
Number of significant digits in a result due to multiplication or division is the same as the number of significant digits in the number with the least number of significant digits.

Circuit Diagrams
Electric circuits
Use batteries and resistors as components
Circuit diagrams are used on paper
Three types are used
Pictorial, block, and schematic

Pictorial Diagrams
Help visualize circuits by showing components as they actually appear

Block Diagrams
Blocks represent portions of a system

Schematic Diagrams

Aids to Circuit Analysis
Prepackaged Simulation Software
PSPICE, Electronics Workbench
Math Software
MathCAD, MATLAB
Programming Languages
BASIC, C, C++, FORTRAN, Assembly

Aids to Circuit Analysis
Graphing Programs
PSI Plot
Axium
Electronic Calculators
TI-86
TI-89