Fundamentals of Electric Circuits
by Charles K. Alexander
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Book Summary Information
Author: Charles K. AlexanderEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10
ISBN: 0071284419
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Book Reviews of Fundamentals of Electric Circuits
Book Review: A very good text on the fundamentals
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this text from another website, but I'm writing here to warn potential buys of several things.
First off, praise.
I was quite surprised to find that many of the equations used in this book have proven derivations whereas other texts simply state the equations and expect students to memorize them. The derivations are very useful in understanding why one would use such an equation in the first place.
The breadth of this text is very large (look inside the cover [on Amazon] to see for yourself). Homework problems range from simple to very challenging (sometimes to the point of frustration). Ultimately, this text does well to introduce the unfamiliar student with the basics of circuits, circuit elements, and basic properties of electricity.
More importantly, causes for disappointment with this text:
I HIGHLY suggest that one does not purchase the newest edition at full price. If possible, purchase the International Edition or an older edition. I am VERY dissatisfied with the author for their "new" edition.
1. There is no solution's manual for the newest edition at this time. Some homework problems left me wondering where to even start (as, in some cases, the homework problem did not even remotely resemble an example or practice problem). Challenge is good, but often problems became frustrating because I could not determine the logic behind the solution. This edition has been out for nearly 3 years and I have yet to see a solution manual for a very expensive text.
2. I got my hands on a solutions manual for the 2nd-latest edition and, through that, found the main differences between edition 3 and 4. Ultimately, the "new" edition features problems whose numbers (values for sources and other circuit elements) have literally been swapped, multiplied by two, or by some other simple number (If you choose to verify this, do note that you will find problems here-and-there that do not exist in the third edition, but only seldom will you find this; also, some problems have been swapped -- yes, same problem, different problem number). Shame on the author for this! I guarantee that you will learn just as much from edition 3 than from this fake of a "new" edition. In fact, the 3rd edition solutions manual I acquired has proven to be enough to guide me through the problems in the 4th edition.
3. For its breadth, the text lacks insight and explanation that I consider important. A quick example: transistors are introduced and the text explains that there are "pnp" and "npn" transistors. Without quite explaining what this means, the book moves on to cover circuit analysis for circuits including transistors. I understand that transistors are treated as black boxes (as are op-amps and other integrated circuits in this text) because the focus is on circuit analysis, but, being new to this field, I wanted to know, even from a quick glance, what a "pnp" transistor was. A quick search on the internet revealed more than enough to enlighten me on the (internal) nature of transistors. I understand complete coverage is asking too much, but a quick peek into devices and integrated circuits would be much appreciated.
My verdict:
This is a great text for anyone looking to explore circuits, analysis techniques, circuit elements, and practical design problems (which I found very interesting, fun, and documented adequately). However, I see no immediate need to own the fourth edition. Given that the fourth edition still leaves many things to be desired (depth-wise), the 3rd edition accompanied with online (free) resources should suit a new student with just as much effectiveness as this "new" fourth edition. I recommend this text -- edition 3 or a very cheap 4th edition.
Summary of Fundamentals of Electric Circuits
Alexander and Sadiku's fourth edition of Fundamentals of Electric Circuits continues in the spirit of its successful previous editions, with the objective of presenting circuit analysis in a manner that is clearer, more interesting, and easier to understand than other, more traditional texts. Students are introduced to the sound, six-step problem solving methodology in chapter one, and are consistently made to apply and practice these steps in practice problems and homework problems throughout the text. A balance of theory, worked examples and extended examples, practice problems, and real-world applications, combined with over 350 new homework problems for the fourth edition and robust media offerings, renders the fourth edition the most comprehensive and student-friendly approach to linear circuit analysis. This edition adds the Design a Problem feature which helps students develop their design skills by having the student develop the question as well as the solution. There are over 100 Design a Problem exercises integrated into the problem sets in the book. Alexander/Sadiku also offers you the convenience of ARIS -- the text-specific web site -- which allows you to assign homework online or create printed homework sets and solutions to your students. The website also features solutions and KCIDE software, which reinforces the books problem-solving approach.Electrical Books
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