Electric circuits

Duration

26h Th, 26h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Bertrand Cornélusse

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

This course will introduce the fundamental aspects and essential techniques of electric circuits analysis. A circuit is a compound system of interconnected electrical components. The fields of application of circuits and the range of their characteristics are extremely vast: integrated circuits, radio and TV circuits, electronic measuring devices, telecommunication systems, large electric energy systems,...
As numerous domains of engineering, circuit analysis appeals to modeling: a circuit is considered as a set of interconnected idealized elements or models set up so as to reproduce at best the physical behavior of the actual system. This course is more particularly dedicated to the introduction of these idealized elements, to the description of their characteristics and limitations as well as to their main methods of analysis.
The teaching approach is progressive: the concepts and techniques are first introduced in the limited context of resistive circuits with constant sources. The results are then extended to sinusoidal steady-state and time-varying current analysis. The course covers the following topics :

• Basic concepts : circuit variables (voltage, current, power), basic components (resistance, voltage and current sources), basic laws (Ohm, Kirchhoff)
• Fundamental theorems : Tellegen, substitution, superposition, Thevenin and Norton equivalents
• General techniques of circuit analysis : the mesh-current and the node-voltage methods
• Response of first (RC, RL) and second (RLC) order circuits
• Sinusoidal steady-state analysis and power calculations, resonant and selective circuits, balanced three-phase circuits
• Two-port circuits.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of the course, the student will master the theoretical basic foundations of electric circuit analysis. The student will be able to implement the corresponding calculation techniques, to derive the complete electrical state of a cricuit and to establish its power balance. The student will also be able to realize comparisons between various methods and to choose the most appropriate one when applied to a given problem. The exercises sessions will help the student in developing critical analysis of computed numeric results and evaluating orders of magnitude.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

• Elementary knowledge of electricity and electromagnetism (from basic physics course).
• Very good ability in calculus with complex numbers.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course is based on theoretical lectures and tutorials.
During the lectures, the theoretical concepts involved in circuit analysis are described, resolution techniques are established and compared and associated mathematical notions are presented. The various techniques are illustrated on simple examples.
During the tutorials, students are trained to problem solving through different approaches, comparing their respective essential characteristics and limitations.
The regular practice of exercises proposed in the exercises course book as well as in the reference book is strongly recommended.

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

Face-to-face.

Recommended or required readings

Main and compulsory readings:
The slides used during the lectures and the exercises course book will be available at the beginning of the quadrimester at the "Centrale des cours de l'AEES" as well as via "MyULg" website (ULg student identification required).
Recommended reference book :
Fundamentals of Electric Circuits, C. Alexander and M. Sadiku, MCGraw-Hill Higher education, 4th edition.

Assessment methods and criteria

In-year assessment.
Two non mandatory exercises tests are proposed, each one dealing with the exercises topics covered during the preceding tutorials. These tests are optional but can be taken into account for the final grade (25 %) if :
- The student takes part to all two tests (except absence justified by a medical certificate);
- The corresponding average mark is in favor of the student, i.e. greater than the final examination, part 2 mark.
Final examination (June).
A written examination comprising two parts:
Part 1, theory (50 %) : concerns all the theoretical concepts approached in the lectures; includes open questions and multiple choice questions. Calculators are forbidden, no document can be consulted.
Part 2, problems (50 % without tests mark, 25 % with tests mark) : comprises resolution of exercises similar to those considered during the tutorials. The calculator is required. The student can refer to a personal formulary of one page maximum to be prepared beforehand.
In case of second session (September): a written examination organized according to the same principle as the evaluation of the first session. The tests mark is not any more taken into account.

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

The course is taught during the second quadrimester (see schedule on the Faculty website http://www.facsa.ulg.ac.be) : one half-day per week, 2 hours lecture followed by 2 hours tutorial.

Contacts

Bertrand Cornélusse Montefiore institute, B28, office I.77a e-mail: bertrand.cornelusse@uliege.be

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the May-June 2020 session

Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning

The course sessions are pre-recorded and posted online on eCampus.
Question-and-answer sessions are held via videoconference. 
Students can also use the eCampus forums to ask questions.

Assessment subjects

All material except section 8.3 on two-port circuits.

Assessment methods

Multiple choice for theory followed by multiple choice for exercises, in the time slot initially assigned to the exam, via the eCampus platform. See the eCampus announcements for more details.

Contacts

Unchanged.

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the Aug-Sept 2020 session

Assessment subjects

All material except section 8.3 on two-port circuits.

Assessment methods

Oral examination of theory and exercises.
The questions are sent to you electronically on the day of the exam, you have time to prepare and then move on to the oral presentation. 1 « theory » question from the list and 1 practice question.

Contacts

Unchanged.