Physics 116A - Analog Electronics
QUARTER: Fall 2019

LECTURES: MWF 12:10 – 1:00 PM in Room 140 Physics
LABS: M or W 3:10-6:00 PM in Room 152 Roessler

INSTRUCTOR: Eric Prebys, 337 Physics, eprebys@ucdavis.edu
LAB INSTRUCTOR: Rahim Ullah, rrullah@ucdavis.edu
TA: Christopher Brainerd, cbbrainerd@ucdavis.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course covers analog electronic devices from passive components resistors, capacitors, and inductors to active devices diodes, transistors, and operational amplifiers. It includes physical models for analog devices, circuit design and analysis, and laboratory techniques.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: You will gain lab experience with measurement and debugging of analog electric circuits. You will learn practical mathematical tools for analyzing or designing and tuning circuits. You will apply basic physics principles toward understanding realistic models for the response of passive and active electronic components.

TEXT: Paul Schertz and Simon Monk, Practical Electronics for Inventors, 4th Edition. This book covers most of the material in this course and 116B, but we will not be covering it in the same order. Instructor notes will be provided as supplementary material if necessary

SOFTWARE: This course will use the LTspice simulation software both in lectures and in homework, so students should download and install it on their own computers. Windows and MacOS users can download the software here. The Windows version can be installed on Linux using Wine by following the instructions here (I didn't need the extra steps with Ubuntu). There is also a ChromeOS version available by following instructions here.

SPECIAL TOPICS: Lectures on contemporary topics, such as electronics devices in everyday life, will be interspersed throughout the quarter.

HOMEWORK: There will 5 homework sets assigned. They will generally be given out on a Monday and due the following Friday by 5PM. Homework should be turned in to the appropriate box in the Physics Building. They will be graded for effort and the solutions posted immediately. Because the solutions will be posted the same day, late homework submissions will not be graded. Students are encouraged to discuss the assigned problems with other students, however, directly copying someone else’s work is not acceptable.

QUIZZES: There will be 4 quizzes based on the homework problems, given on the alternate Fridays from the homework due dates. Partial credit will be given to the extent your reasoning can be followed, so all work should be shown.

LABORATORIES: You should download the lab write-ups from the class web site. Read the entire lab write-up before coming to lab and complete the pre-lab exercises, if any. You will need to keep a clear record of your work in the lab along with the data that you collect. Each student must keep his/her own logbook, although data sheets can be shared between lab partners via photocopies. Labs should be turned into the P116 box in the Physics Building before the following week's Lab.

LAB SAFETY: You should complete the online course for Electrical Safety at http://safetyservices.ucdavis.edu/training/electrical-safety.

FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be comprehensive, covering materials both from homework and labs.

GRADING: 20% Homework, 30% Laboratory, 25% Quizzes, 25% Final Exam

CODE OF CONDUCT: All course students and staff are bound by the UC Davis Academic Code of Conduct.

OFFICE HOURS:
Eric Prebys: Wed 2:00-3:00 PM or by appointment (email is best)
Rahim Ullah: Thursday 5:30-7:30pm Physics 185 (h-bar)
Christopher Brainerd: Tuesday 5:30-6:30pm Physics 185 (h-bar)

PHY 116A A01 FQ 2019