ECE 5204Analog Circuits And Intuition

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The ability to see the simplicity in a complex design problem is a skill that is not usually taught in engineering classes. Some engineers, when faced with design problems, immediately fill up pages and pages of calculations, or do complex circuit simulations or finite-element analyses. One problem with this approach is that if you get an answer, you do not know if it is correct unless you have an intuitive “feel” for what the answer should be. The application of some simple rules of thumb and design techniques is a possible first step to developing intuition into the behavior of complex electrical systems. This course outlines some ways of thinking about analog circuits and systems that are intended will help to develop intuition and guide design. The lectures are a mixture of instructional sessions covering new background material, and design case studies. Prerequisites: Undergraduate background in device physics, microelectronics, control systems, electromagnetism.