Electric Circuits (8th Edition)
by James W. Nilsson, Susan Riedel
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Book Summary Information
Author: James W. Nilsson, Susan RiedelEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-11
ISBN: 0131989251
Number of pages: 880
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Accessories:
- Student Study Pack
- Introduction to Multisim, Electric Circuits
- Introduction to PSpice for Electric Circuits
Book Reviews of Electric Circuits (8th Edition)
Book Review: From a professor's point of view
Summary: 4 Stars
Background: I've used this text for 5 years now, beginning with the 7th Ed, and now probably moving to the 9th. Before my teaching career I was a circuit designer for HP for about 12 years. I teach at a community college, and we use this text because most of the universities to which my students transfer use it. I've never had a student complain about this text, either personally or in a student evaluation.
The good:
I think the text is well-written, the explanations are clear and concise and at exactly the level that sophomore EE/ECE students need. The examples are well-chosen and sufficient in number to effectively present the fundamental concepts.
What could be improved:
1. More general problems are needed that require the student to solve the circuits using generic components (R, L, C) instead of giving numeric values for all components. The purely numeric approach leads to a "sea of numbers" plug-and-chug solution that has little meaning to the student and even less value in terms of understanding circuit behaviour. Students need to get used to working their solutions into the standard algebraic forms that provide insight into the behaviour of the circut. (I have designed my labs to make up for this.)
2. The order of the topics assumes the student is taking their first course in differential equations concurrently, and so postpones the introduction of the LaPlace transform until near the end of the semester. Too much time is spent solving 1st and 2nd order linear, constant coefficient ODEs by methods engineers will never use again. This makes LaPlace methods look like an afterthought, when in fact it is how EEs actually work in the field.
All in all, I view this book as a very positive text, and will probably continue to use it. It does a good job of demonstrating the thinking required of an engineer, and helping the persistent student to develope it.
To the struggling student using this text:
More than likely your problems are with prerequite concepts. All circuits texts appropriate for this level assume you are good at algebra, trig, and calculus (no, I mean GOOD at them), and that you have completed 2 semesters of calculus-based physics. This is requred to learn the topic of circuit analysis at the level expected of you.
Also, you should not expect to learn the concepts in any engineering, physics, or upper level math class by simply mimicing examples. You must learn to generalize the fundamental concepts so that you can apply them in ways you haven't seen in an example. If you can't learn that, then you may want to consider a change in either attitude or major. Engineers are not "paid the big bucks" to solve problems that have already been solved before. You must develope the ability to think generally, and this entails a lot of time and effort. Unless you are a genius, there is some frustration inherent in the process. It is at these times that "the book sucks, the professor sucks, so I guess I'll go write a review on Amazon."
Your time would be more profitably spent making proper use of the examples in the book (and in your class notes). Before beginning your homework problems try working through all the examples without referring to the solution. Don't just read them, work them out on paper. Keep working the examples until you understand them, only then are you ready to begin the homework set. You might think you don't have time for this, but it will reduce your "head-banging time" later on. The examples are not intended to be templates into which you can substitute similar values from each assigned problem in order to produce an answer. That would be the opposite of helpful.
Summary of Electric Circuits (8th Edition)
Electric Circuits, Eighth Edition features a new design,a four-color format, and 80% of chapter problems have been updated. In the midst of these changes, the book retains the goals that have made it a best-seller: 1) To build an understanding of concepts and ideas explicitly in terms of previous learning; 2) To emphasize the relationship between conceptual understanding and problem solving approaches; 3) To provide readers with a strong foundation of engineering practices. Chapter topics include Circuit Variables; Circuit Elements; Simple Resistive Circuits; Techniques of Circuit Analysis; The Operational Amplifier; Inductors, Capacitors, and Mutual Inductance; Response of First-Order RL and RC Circuits; Natural and Step Responses of RLC Circuits; Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis; and more. For anyone interested in circuit analysis.Engineering Books
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