Electric Circuits

Instance: 2015/2016 - 2S

Cycles of Study/Courses

Last updated on 2016-02-12.

Fields changed: Teaching methods and learning activities, Objetivos, Componentes de Avaliação e Ocupação, Métodos de ensino e atividades de aprendizagem, Objetivos, Componentes de Avaliação e Ocupação

Teaching language

Objectives

The main objective of the course is to provide the students with fundamental knowledge and competecies in the  analysis of linear electric circuits. Students must acquire the ability to apply the basic laws of the theory of electricity to the analysis of DC and AC circuits, under transient and sinusoidal steady conditions.

Learning outcomes and competences

The students should acquire and demosntrate the skills needed to:

1. Describe and explain the concepts, characteristics and properties of the electrical fundamental variables (charge, voltage, current), and of passive and active devices in models of electric circuits (resistance, capacitance, inductance, and both independent and controlled voltage and current sources).

2. Identify and distinguish the basic laws applicable to electric circuits as well as the methods of circuit analysis and simplification that make use of these laws.

3. Write equations that describe the operation of DC and switched circuits (transient and steady state).

4. Describe and explain the concepts of phasor and impedance/admittance, and to apply them in the analysis of circuits in sinusoidal steady state.

5. Identify, characterize and operate with the notions of power in general, and complex power (apparent, active and reactive).

6. Analyse interconnections of sub-circuits represented by two-port network models.

Working method

Program

1. DC circuit analysis: general concepts. Variables and basic electrical laws. Methods for circuit analysis. Inductances and capacitors. RC and RL first order circuits.

2. AC circuit analysis: general concepts. Sinusoidal signals. The concept of phasor and phasor relationships for R, L and C circuit elements . Impedance and admittance. Sinusoidal steady-state response. Power calculation for sinusoidal steady-state operation.

3. Two-port network analysis.

Mandatory literature

Teaching methods and learning activities

The teaching activities take place in two distinct types of classes: theoretical (T) and practical-laboratory (PL). Two weekly T classes, of 1.5 hours each, involve lectures on the subject matter, whenever possible accompanied by the solution of illustrative examples. One 2-hour PL class per week is dedicated to solving selected problems.

The following types of students have to register in sections and attend a minimum number of classes:

- all the students taking the course for the first time;

- students having registered for the course in previous years without obtaining the "frequency" status (as stated in their individual academic track record in SIGARRA).

All the other students should not enroll in a section as they are not subject to attend a minimum number of classes.  Nevertheless they are strongly encouraged to attend and to participate actively in all T classes and in the PL classes of a section of their choice, subject to acceptance by the teaching staff member in charge of that section.

keywords

Evaluation Type

Assessment Components

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Eligibility for exams

In order to obtain the "frequency" status the student should not miss more that 25 % of the expected total number of PL classes (3 ).

Calculation formula of final grade

The final grade (CF) is obtained by combining the grade of the final exam grade (AE) and the one of the distributed assessment (AD), coming from two mini-tests MT1 and MT2, according to the formula:

CF = MT1*15% + MT2*15% + AE*70%

Students not enrolled in sections must take the final exam and may, if they so wish, transfer the distributed assessment grade from a previous year, therefore not taking the mini-tests in the current semester.  This possibility becomes void after students take and submit the first mini-test.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students legally exempt from obtaining the "frequency" status, who choose not to take the minitests, will be evaluated through an exam covering the whole course material.

Classification improvement

Improvement of the final grade may be obtained through an examination covering the whole course material.  The distributed assesment grade will not be considered for the calculation of this new grade.