Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE EPC1101

 
TITLE Electrical Circuit Theory 1

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Electrical Engineering

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit provides the basis of electrical circuit analysis:

- Electrical quantities: voltage, current, charge, resistance, capacitance, inductance, power, frequency, phase, peak, r.m.s values.
- Network analysis: Ohm's law, Kirchoff's laws, Mesh Current Analysis, Nodal Analysis, Thevenin and Norton's theorems, Millman's theorem, Maximum Power Transfer. Linear and non-linear networks, super-position theorem, voltage and current sources.
- D.C. Transients: Charging and discharging of a capacitor, linear and exponential, inductor transients.
- A.C. Theory: behaviour of resistors, inductors and capacitors with sinusoidal signals, reactance, impedance, phasor diagrams, j-notation, basic RLC circuits, real power, reactive power, apparent power, power factor.

Study-unit Aims:

This study-unit teaches the necessary tools required for basic dc, ac and transient analysis of electrical circuits and provides an understanding of the characteristics of electrical and electronic circuits modeled as lumped elements.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Explain steady-state and transient behaviour of dc circuits.
- Understand the behaviour of R,L,C components in dc and ac circuits.
- Explain steady-state behaviour of ac circuits with sinusoidal signals.
- Understand the phasor representation of sinusoidal signals and numerical description of phasors in complex and polar form.
- Understand power flow in ac circuits and distinguish between real, reactive and apparent power.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Analyse dc circuits including networks with multiple sources.
- Analyse dc transient behaviour for RC and RL networks.
- Describe steady-state ac circuit behaviour using phasors and perform ac circuit analysis using phasor algebra.
- Perform basic calculations relating to power in single-phase ac circuits.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Boylestad, Introductory Circuit Analysis, Prentice Hall. (12th Edition).

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Tutorial and Practical

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 10%
Practical SEM1 No 15%
Examination (2 Hours) SEM1 Yes 75%

 
LECTURER/S John Licari
Cyril Spiteri Staines

 

 
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit