Overview
This introductory course develops the principles and practices required for electrical engineering analysis and design. Students study electrical quantities and units, voltage, current, power, energy, Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s laws, series and parallel circuits, nodal and mesh analysis, and fundamental circuit theorems.
The course extends these foundations to capacitors, inductors, first-order transient response, sinusoidal steady-state analysis, impedance, phasors, and basic AC power. It introduces operational amplifiers, diodes, transistors, digital logic, sensors, measurement instruments, and computer-based circuit simulation.
Laboratory activities develop safe breadboarding, multimeter and oscilloscope operation, data collection, troubleshooting, uncertainty awareness, and comparison of theoretical, simulated, and measured behaviour. Students communicate technical results and design or test a simple electrical subsystem subject to stated constraints.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply SI units, electrical quantities, and governing laws to analyse fundamental electrical circuits.
- Analyse series, parallel, and mixed DC circuits using Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s laws, nodal analysis, mesh analysis, and circuit theorems.
- Evaluate capacitor and inductor behaviour, including first-order transient responses and initial and final conditions.
- Analyse sinusoidal steady-state circuits using impedance, phasors, and calculations of basic AC power.
- Select electrical components and interpret circuit schematics subject to stated performance and safety constraints.
- Operate multimeters, oscilloscopes, breadboards, and other laboratory instruments safely and accurately.
- Compare theoretical, simulated, and measured circuit behaviour, accounting for uncertainty, tolerances, and sources of error.
- Explain the operating principles and applications of operational amplifiers, diodes, transistors, digital logic devices, and sensors.
- Use computer-based circuit simulation tools to predict circuit behaviour and support engineering decisions.
- Design, test, troubleshoot, and document a simple electrical subsystem using appropriate technical communication conventions.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Lab | 3 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | Second term |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Quiz | Online quizzes (5 × 2%) | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Circuit analysis assignments (3 × 5%) | 15.00% |
| Deliverable | Laboratory reports (5 × 4%) | 20.00% |
| Test | Mid-semester circuit analysis test | 20.00% |
| Capstone | Electrical subsystem design and test project | 15.00% |
| Exam | End-of-semester examination | 20.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement 14 NCEA Level 2 Mathematics credits, externally assessed
- Requirement 8 NCEA Level 2 Physics credits, externally assessed
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
