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Electrical Engineering Circuits Textbook Comparative Analysis 0

Title: Electrical Engineering Circuits Textbook Comparative Analysis

Introduction

In this comparative analysis, the two books being evaluated are The Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits by Roland E. Thomas and Albert J. Rosa and Basic eEngineering Circuit Analysis by J. David Irwin and Chwan-Hwa Wu. The purpose of this report is to comparatively analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each book, and upon this analysis, make a recommendation of which book is appropriate for a sophomore level Circuits I class.

The analysis will be done based on the following criteria especially in the subject matter that is the most critical to mastering the course. The subjects to be considered in this evaluation will be Kirchoff’s laws, Node-voltage analysis, Mesh-current analysis, Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits and electronic devices. The areas under evaluation within these five subjects are topic coverage, level of complexity, exercises, figures, and examples. These subject areas were chosen because they are fundamental to the circuitsCircuits I class and to the classes that proceed the circuitsCircuits I class.

This analytical report will address the issue of choosing the proper textbook for the Circuits I class. The report will include the background of the situation, the criteria that will be evaluated, the evaluation of this criteria, and finally the conclusion where the recommendation will be made.

Michael Albers, 08/17/12,

You should list your criteria here.


You need to reword this, possibly saying “and the conclusion and recommendation.”


Background of the Situation

Every semester college faculty and staff members are faced with the decision of selecting the proper textbook for their classes. This time consuming task of evaluating books based on select criteria was given to our company. An in-depth analysis will be given focusing on the strong points and negative points of each of the two books in question and then a recommendation given.

Criteria

The areas chosen for consideration were Kirchoff’s laws, Node-voltage analysis, Mesh-current analysis, Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits, and electronic devices. These were chosen because they are fundamental principles of Circuits I and are also viewed by the ABET accreditation as vital to a student in electrical engineering. Within these areas, the recommendation will be given based upon, topic coverage, level of complexity, exercises, figures, and examples. Organization and layout of both books will also be evaluated.

Topic coverage was selected as a point of interest because it is critical for the subject material to be thoroughly covered. The student needs enough detail within the text to grasp the ideals and concepts being discussed. Level of complexity was chosen because the author of the books should strive to keep the tone as simple as possible within reason. The material within electrical engineering textbooks is complex as it stands with all of the formulas, calculations, and figures without adding to the complexity. The chapter exercises is of special interest as well because they are a great way for students to practice the new ideals that they just learned. The chapters should contain enough problems so that the students feel that they have had plenty of practice. The problems should start off easy and then progress to harder problems. This helps the students feel more comfortable with their abilities to do the problems. The figures within the chapters were also evaluated because of the importance of good and abundant figures. Within the electrical engineering curriculum figures are vital to the learning of the material, because the students are dealing with things like voltage and current which can not be visualized. Therefore, an adequate amount of figures should be present and the figures should be easy to understand. The figures should have enough white space around them to distinguish them from the text, have good captions clearly describing the content, and proper placement within the chapter. Next, the example problems were evaluated because the example problems are so important for visualizing the concepts just learned in the chapter. The majority of students learn the most from the example problems, because they show how to apply the information just learned. The example problems should also closely resemble the exercises. Lastly, the organization and layout of both books were compared because this is the overall impression of the books.


I think you should delete this paragraph. It is not necessary.


Move this section up to the previous page.


This section should deleted since it isn’t necessary and does not follow the report format.


Evaluation

Organization/Layout

The Thomas and Rosa book gives a brief summary at the beginning of each chapter to inform the reader of the contents of the chapter. The book also contained a summary at the end of each chapter, highlighting the important information that the reader should have gathered from the text. The text was presented in an easy to read fashion, because the authors presented it almost in a narrative form,. and tThe information also flowed together in a logical manner. The book provided good tables in the front cover with informative conversions and equations. The book also contained a table of contents, appendixes, glossary and index. Thomas and Rosa gave a brief introduction to the background of circuits analysis before they started introducing new material to the reader. The background information was perfect, because they didn’t spend too much time rehashing material that the student should have learned from prior courses.

Irwin and Wu also had good organizational layout in their book. However, the book started out with the first two chapters being dedicated to material that should have been review for a circuits student. The text was a little choppy, and the ideas didn’tdid not really flow together. The authors did, however, provide a summary at the end of each section which was a definite advantage over the other book. There was also an introduction at the beginning of each chapter overthat stated which topics would be discussed. The problemsexercises at the end of the chapters were separated by thin blue lines which organized those quite well. One big disadvantage of this book was the lack of color in the figures, and important concepts.

Kirchoff’s Laws

In the Rosa and Thomas book Kirchoff’s Laws were placed at the beginning of chapter two. The laws were presented in a logical manner with the authors first identifying Kirchoff’s current law and then Kirchoff’s voltage law. The coverage of the material was adequate enough so that the reader could grasp the concepts fairly well. The complexity of the material was drastically reduced by the authors presenting the material in a way that was visually pleasing to the eye. This was done through the use of two different colors used tothat visually separated equations, important points and figures. There were also ample exercises included for the student to practice the concepts just learned. The figures were placed near the text that referenced them, and they accurately described what was being discussed. There were a couple of figures that demonstrated KVL and KCL. There was also ample white space around the figures with a different color caption to distinguish them. The examples in this section of the book were also very gooduseful in that they adequately assessed the material that was just discussed before the example problem. After looking through the examples, the reader felt more knowledgeable and confident about the problemsexercises.

In the Irwin and Wu book, Kirchoff’s Laws were also placed at the beginning of chapter two. The coverage of the material was descentdecent, but the contents were not presented in a very logical way. The authors didn’t use any other color in the entire section except to distinguish the


The word “problems” is ambiguous. You should use “exercises” to make your meaning more specific.


You should reword this sentence or break it into two sentences.


You should reword this sentence. It is unclear whether you mean the lack of important concepts was a disadvantage or the lack of color concepts was a disadvantage.


Should circuits be plural here?


figures and exercises. Therefore, it seemed as though everything just ran together. The language was more complex, making it more difficult to understand what the authors were trying to express. The exercises were more scarce, so that the student didn’t get adequate practice. The figures were good, but they didn’t really stand out to show the significance of them. The examples were far more difficult in this book, because they started working problems with dependant sources which wasn’twere not even covered in the other book until chapter four.

Node-voltage Analysis and Mesh-current Analysis

In the Thomas and Rosa book, these two topics were covered very well. They presented step-by-step instructions needed to develop node-voltage equations and mesh-current equations. They included several ways to solve the problems either by the equation method or inspection method. There was also a review on solving linear algebraic equations using Cramer’s rule and node and mesh analysis with voltage and current sources. The book also discussed supernodes and supermeshes. There were enough exercises so that the student would feel comfortable with working the problems at the end of the chapter. The figures, again, were ample and accurately conveyed the information in the text. Examples were very gooduseful in that even in the examplesbecause they provided a step by step breakdown of how to analyze these types of problems.

In the Irwin and Wu book, this subject matter was not impressive by any means. The topic coverage was adequate enough, but the complexity was increased by lack of distinct separation of the two different topics. Difficulty in the exercises was present again with the addition of dependant sources to the problems. The figures were bad and not really presented in a logical way. The examples were harder to follow, because there were no step-by-step methods included.

Thevenin and Norton Equivalent Circuits

Both of the books did a good job in presenting material for this subject. The topic was fully covered in basically the same fashion. They both demonstrated how the circuit is broken down using this method. The exercises were also good in that they assessed the students’ knowledge in working a variety of problems that they might be faced with in the work environment. The figures pictorially showed how the circuits are simplified using Thevenin and Nortons method. Examples were also good because they matched up with the exercises, but were changed just enough as to give the student a bit of a challenge.

Electronic Devices

The coverage of electronic devices is important to a student at the Circuits I level because it is their first chance for exposure to these topics. It is the precursor to Electronics I and other electrical engineering classes to follow. In the Thomas and Rosa book the topicelectronic devices waswere covered very well in that they discussed the transistor, the op-amp, the comparator, the capacitor, and the inductor in great detail. The complexity of the topics was again drastically reduced by the layout of the material, and the different colors used to


The background information is unnecessary.


Your structure is inconsistent. In the other sections you separate the evaluation of each book into different paragraphs. Here, you combine the evaluation. You should separate the evaluations into separate paragraphs in this section to keep your structure consistant.


Instead of saying “the figures are bad”, you should describe why the figures were bad.


You should avoid using the word “good” since it is too vague.


Were problems with dependant sources covered in this chapter in this book?


distinguish distinction of the figures and calculations. by the use of different colors. The exercises were ample, and were challenging enough. The figures were again done very well, and the examples were perfect for the exercises.

In the Irwin and Wu book, the coverage of electronic devices was not done very well. In fact, the book only contained a brief amount of information on op-amps, inductors, and capacitors. They didn’t did not even cover transistors or comparators which are the basic building blocks for an introduction to electronics. Therefore, because of the lack of information on any of these devices, the examples, figures, and exercises were also very scarce.


Conclusion

Thomas/Rosa

Criteria Kirchoff’s

Laws

Node-Voltage and Mesh-Current Analysis


Electronic Devices

Topic Coverage Thorough coverage of this material.

Good coverage of all the main points.

Thorough coverage of this material.

Excellent job of covering the main electronic devices.

Level of Complexity

Complexity was decreased by figures used and main points highlighted.

Easy to comprehend and follow due to the layout and organization.

The subject matter is confusing, but the authors did a good job trying to reduce the complexity.

Just provided an overview of this material, so it was not too complex.

Exercises Provided several good exercises within the text and at the end of the chapter.

A little complex, but the student should be able to work them with a little guidance.

The exercises were placed in a logical manner (from easy to hard)

Fairly easy exercises, but still challenging enough.

Figures Colorful figures that allow the student to see current flow pattern.

Again, good figures showing current flow and voltage drops.

The figures were vital in learning this material, and the authors did a great job of showing how to simplify problems.

Good figures and ample number of them.

Examples The examples given provided a variety of ways to work the problems.

Plenty of examples showing the different methods of solving the problems.

The examples were excellent and also vital in learning this material.

Examples coincided with the exercises.


Work what?


You should combine these tables so that a more direct comparison can be made between the two books.


Irwin/Wu


Laws



Electronic Devices


Descent coverage of this material, but doesn’t go into many ways to work the problems.

Through coverage of this material.

Horrible job of covering these topics. Didn’t even discuss transistors or comparators.

Level of Complexity

Complexity was increased by lack of color for main points and figures.

Language used is a little confusing, and not represented in a logical way.


Not Applicable

Exercises Did not provide many exercised within the chapter.

Some exercises were good, but others were introducing complex material way too early in the book.

Not a variety of exercises were present for this material.

Not Applicable

Figures Plain figures placed in odd places.

Plain figures placed in odd places.


Not Applicable

Examples The examples are difficult to follow, and they start introducing some material too early.

Too many examples with dependant sources, so that the student never gets to just focus on the topic at hand.


Not Applicable



Introduction

In this comparative analysis, the two books being evaluated are The Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits by Roland E. Thomas and Albert J. Rosa and Basic engineering Circuit Analysis by J. David Irwin and Chwan-Hwa Wu. The purpose of this report is to comparatively analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each book, and upon this analysis, make a recommendation of which book is appropriate for a sophomore level Circuits I class.

The analysis will be done based on the following criteria especially in the subject matter that is the most critical to mastering the course. The subjects to be considered in this evaluation will be Kirchoff’s laws, Node-voltage analysis, Mesh-current analysis, Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits and electronic devices. The areas under evaluation within these five subjects are topic coverage, level of complexity, exercises, figures, and examples. These subject areas were chosen because they are fundamental to the circuits class and to the classes that proceed the circuits class.

This analytical report will address the issue of choosing the proper textbook for the Circuits I class. The report will include the background of the situation, the criteria that will be evaluated, evaluation of this criteria, and finally the conclusion where the recommendation will be made.

malbers, 08/17/12,

Conclusion should be here as well. No need for dramtic effect.

malbers, 08/17/12,

Why does it matter about the classes before?




Criteria

The areas chosen for consideration were Kirchoff’s laws, Node-voltage analysis, Mesh-current analysis, Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits and electronic devices. These were chosen because they are fundamental principles of Circuits I and are also viewed by the ABET accreditation as vital to a student in electrical engineering. Within these areas, the recommendation will be given based upon, topic coverage, level of complexity, exercises, figures and examples. Organization and layout of both books will also be evaluated.

Topic coverage was selected as a point of interest because it is critical for the subject material to be thoroughly covered. The student needs enough detail within the text to grasp the ideals and concepts being discussed. Level of complexity was chosen because the author of the books should strive to keep the tone as simple as possible within reason. The material within electrical engineering textbooks is complex as it stands with all of the formulas, calculations, and figures without adding to the complexity.

. The chapter exercises is of special interest as well because they are a great way for students to practice the new ideals that they just learned. The chapters should contain enough problems so that the students feel that they have had plenty of practice. The problems should start off easy and then progress to harder problems. This helps the students feel more comfortable with their abilities to do the problems.

The figures within the chapters were also evaluated because of the importance of good and abundant figures. Within the electrical engineering curriculum, figures are vital to the learning of the material, because the students are dealing with things like voltage and current which can not be visualized. Therefore, an adequate amount of figures should be present and the figures should be easy to understand. The figures should have enough white space around them to distinguish them from the text, have good captions clearly describing the content, and proper placement within the chapter.

malbers, 08/17/12,

These criteria for figures is not always covered exactly in evaluation

malbers, 08/17/12,

This was one long paragraph which was hard to read

malbers, 08/17/12,

Organization and layout should be first as it is in the evaluation section

malbers, 08/17/12,

The main headings criteria aren’t matched up to the evaluation.


Next, the example problems were evaluated because the example problems are so important for visualizing the concepts just learned in the chapter. The majority of students learn the most from the example problems, because they show how to apply the information just learned. The example problems should also closely resemble the exercises. Lastly, the organization and layout of both books were compared because this is the overall impression of the books.

Evaluation

Organization/Layout

The Thomas and Rosa book gives a brief summary at the beginning of each chapter to inform the reader of the contents of the chapter. The book also contained a summary at the end of each chapter highlighting the important information that the reader should have gathered from the text. The text was presented in an easy to read fashion, because the authors presented it almost in a narrative form, and the information flowed together in a logical manner. The book provided good tables in the front cover with informative conversions and equations. The book also contained a table of contents, appendixes, glossary and index. Thomas and Rosa gave a brief introduction to the background of circuits analysis before they started introducing new material to the reader. The background information was perfect, because they didn’t spend too much time rehashing material that the student should have learned from prior courses.

Irwin and Wu also had good organizational layout in their book. However, the book started out with the first two chapters being dedicated to material that should have been review for a circuits student. The text was a little choppy, and the ideas didn’t really flow together. The authors did, however, provide a summary at the end of each section which was a definite advantage over the other book. There was also an introduction at the beginning of each chapter over which topics would be discussed. The problems at the end of the chapters were separated by thin blue lines which organized those quite well. One big disadvantage of this book was the lack of color in the figures, and important concepts.

Kirchoff’s Laws

In the Rosa and Thomas book Kirchoff’s Laws were placed at the beginning of chapter two. The laws were presented in a logical manner with the authors first identifying Kirchoff’s current law and then Kirchoff’s voltage law. The coverage of the material was adequate enough so that the reader could grasp the concepts fairly well. The complexity of the material was drastically reduced by the authors presenting the material in a way that was visually pleasing to the eye. This was done through the use of two different colors used to visually separate equations, important points and figures. There were also ample exercises included for the student to practice the concepts just learned. The figures were placed near the text that referenced them, and they accurately described what was being discussed. There were a couple of figures that demonstrated KVL and KCL. There was also ample white space around the figures with a different color caption to distinguish them. The examples in this section of the book were also

malbers, 08/17/12,

Not sure what this meant

malbers, 08/17/12,

It seems more logical to discuss the chapter beginning before the end.

malbers, 08/17/12,

Too many sentences are beginning with “the book”


very good in that they adequately assessed the material that was just discussed before the example problem. After looking through the examples, the reader felt more knowledgeable and confident about the problems.

In the Irwin and Wu book, Kirchoff’s Laws were also placed at the beginning of chapter two. The coverage of the material was descent, but the contents were not presented in a very logical way. The authors didn’t use any other color in the entire section except to distinguish the figures and exercises. Therefore, it seemed as though everything just ran together. The language was more complex, making it more difficult to understand what the authors were trying to express. The exercises were more scarce, so that the student didn’t get adequate practice. The figures were good, but they didn’t really stand out to show the significance of them. The examples were far more difficult in this book, because they started working problems with dependant sources which wasn’t even covered in the other book until chapter four.


In the Thomas and Rosa book, these two topics were covered very well. They presented step-by-step instructions needed to develop node-voltage equations and mesh-current equations. They included several ways to solve the problems either by the equation method or inspection method. There was also a review on solving linear algebraic equations using Cramer’s rule and node and mesh analysis with voltage and current sources. The book also discussed supernodes and supermeshes. There were enough exercises so that the student would feel comfortable with working the problems at the end of the chapter. The figures again were ample and accurately conveyed the information in the text. Examples were very good in that even in the examples they provided a step by step breakdown of how to analyze these types of problems.




Electronic Devices

malbers, 08/17/12,

I’m not sure what this sentence really means


The coverage of electronic devices is important to a student at the Circuits I level because it is their first chance for exposure to thisese topics. It is the precursor to Electronics I and other electrical engineering classes to follow.

In the Thomas and Rosa book the topic was covered very well in that they discussed the transistor, the op-amp, the comparator, the capacitor, and the inductor in great detail. The complexity of the topics was again drastically reduced by the layout of the material, and the distinction of the figures and calculations by the use of different colors. The exercises were ample, and were challenging enough. The figures were again done very well, and the examples were perfect for the exercises.

In the Irwin and Wu book, the coverage of electronic devices was not done very well. In fact, the book only contained a brief amount of information on op-amps, inductors, and capacitors. They didn’t even cover transistors or comparators which are the basic building blocks for an introduction to electronics. Therefore, because of the lack of information on any of these devices, the examples, figures, and exercises were also very scarceinadequate.

malbers, 08/17/12,

What is it here?

malbers, 08/17/12,

Shouldn’t this paragraph be in the criteria section, why you chose Electronic Devices?


Conclusion

Thomas/Rosa


Laws



Electronic Devices





Level of Complexity

















malbers, 08/17/12,

This information is already written out, simplify the table to a rating or yes/no.

malbers, 08/17/12,

These tables are good, but the idea is to contrast the two books, which is better done side by side, rather than in two tables.

malbers, 08/17/12,

It’s nice it’s in a table, but writing the conclusion somewhere is still required.


Irwin/Wu


Laws



Electronic Devices





Level of Complexity




Not Applicable




Not Applicable




Not Applicable




Not Applicable



Introduction

In this comparative analysis, the two books being evaluated are The Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits by Roland E. Thomas and Albert J. Rosa and Basic eEngineering Circuit Analysis by J. David Irwin and Chwan-Hwa Wu. The purpose of this report is to comparatively analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each book,. Aand upon this analysis, make a recommendation of which book is appropriate for a sophomore level Circuits I class.

The analysis will be done based on the following criteria especially in the subject matter that is the most critical to mastering the course. The subjects to be considered in this evaluation will be Kirchoff’s laws, Node-voltage analysis, Mesh-current analysis, Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits and electronic devices.These subject areas were chosen because they are fundamental to the circuits class and to the classes that proceed the circuits class The areas under evaluation within these five subjects are topic coverage, level of complexity, exercises, figures, and examples. These subject areas were chosen because they are fundamental to the circuits class and to the classes that proceed the circuits class.


malbers, 08/17/12,

Should this paragraph be made to fit in the first paragraph?

malbers, 08/17/12,

Consider making a list after the introduction of the topics.

malbers, 08/17/12,

Justify why these are the subjects you are comparing.

malbers, 08/17/12,

This phrase is too long and doesn’t fit into this sentence. Is it necessary? If so, make a new sentence or re-word the existing sentence so that it better fits the document.

malbers, 08/17/12,

list the criteria. Why make the reader wait?




Criteria



malbers, 08/17/12,

This is a lot of information to put into this report. Is this necessary for your audience?

malbers, 08/17/12,

This information should be placed at the first mention of criteria. This may make it easier for your reader to follow the document.

malbers, 08/17/12,

This is all introductory information. It may not even be necessary for your audience.


Evaluation

Organization/Layout



Kirchoff’s Laws

In the Rosa and Thomas book Kirchoff’s Laws were placed at the beginning of chapter two. The laws were presented in a logical manner with the authors first identifying Kirchoff’s current law and then Kirchoff’s voltage law. The coverage of the material was adequate enough so that the reader could grasp the concepts fairly well. The complexity of the material was drastically reduced by the authors presenting the material in a way that was visually pleasing to the eye. This was done through the use of two different colors used to visually separate equations, important points and figures. There were also ample exercises included for the student to practice the concepts just learned. The figures were placed near the text that referenced them, and they accurately described what was being discussed. There were a couple of figures that demonstrated KVL and KCL. There was also ample white space around the figures with a different color caption to distinguish them. The examples in this section of the book were also very good in that they adequately assessed the material that was just discussed before the example problem. After looking through the examples, the reader felt more knowledgeable and confident about the problems.

In the Irwin and Wu book, Kirchoff’s Laws were also placed at the beginning of chapter two. The coverage of the material was descent, but the contents were not presented in a very logical way. The authors didn’t use any other color in the entire section except to distinguish the figures

malbers, 08/17/12,

Who is the reader? There is no mention of a reader or any kind of research in earlier parts of the document.

malbers, 08/17/12,

Why was this a disadvantage?

malbers, 08/17/12,

What other book?

malbers, 08/17/12,

lay audience terms

malbers, 08/17/12,

Why is this important? Justify yourself.

malbers, 08/17/12,

This phrase is sort of belittles the reader.

malbers, 08/17/12,

This topic was not mentioned in your introduction at all. Either insert it into the introduction or delete it.


and exercises. Therefore, it seemed as though everything just ran together. The language was more complex, making it more difficult to understand what the authors were trying to express. The exercises were more scarce, so that the student didn’t get adequate practice. The figures were good, but they didn’t really stand out to show the significance of them. The examples were far more difficult in this book, because they started working problems with dependant sources which wasn’t even covered in the other book until chapter four.


In the Thomas and Rosa book, these two topics were covered very well. They presented step-by-step instructions needed to develop node-voltage equations and mesh-current equations. They included several ways to solve the problems either by the equation method or inspection method. There was also a review on solving linear algebraic equations using Cramer’s rule and node and mesh analysis with voltage and current sources. The book also discussed supernodes and supermeshes. There were enough exercises so that the student would feel comfortable with working the problems at the end of the chapter. The figures again were ample and accurately conveyed the information in the text. Examples were very good in that even in the examples they provided a step by step breakdown of how to analyze these types of problemsThe examples proved to be very good by providing a step by step breakdown of how to analyze these types of problems.

In the Irwin and Wu book, this subject matter was not impressive by any means. The topic coverage was adequate enough, but the complexity was increased by lack of distinct separation of the two different topics. Difficulty in the exercises was present again with the addition of dependant sources to the problems. The figures were bad and not really presented in a logical wayThe figures did not present a the material in a logical way . The examples were harder to follow, because there were no step-by-step methods included.



Electronic Devices

The coverage of electronic devices is important to a student at the Circuits I level because it is their first chance for exposure to these topics. It is the precursor to Electronics I and other electrical engineering classes to follow. In the Thomas and Rosa book the topic was covered very well in that they discussed the transistor, the op-amp, the comparator, the capacitor, and the

malbers, 08/17/12,

There is explanation of why the other topics are important to the students in any of the other topics. Be consistent; either delete this one or add the others.

malbers, 08/17/12,

You must be consistent with your paragraph style. Talk about each book separately.

malbers, 08/17/12,

What dependent sources?

malbers, 08/17/12,

Your language turns toward a lay audience in this paragraph. Consider adding more information about the book instead of making it so passive.


inductor in great detail. The complexity of the topics was again drastically reduced by the layout of the material, and the distinction of the figures and calculations by the use of different colors. The exercises were ample, and were challenging enough. The figures were again done very well, and the examples were perfect for the exercises.

In the Irwin and Wu book, the coverage of electronic devices was not done very well. In fact, the book only contained a brief amount of information on op-amps, inductors, and capacitors. They It didn’t even cover transistors or comparators which are the basic building blocks for an introduction to electronics. Therefore, because of the lack of information on any of these devices, the examples, figures, and exercises were also very scarce.

malbers, 08/17/12,

Is this all the information you have on this book? Your audience needs a fair and consistent comparison.

malbers, 08/17/12,

Will your reader know why this is important?


Conclusion

Thomas/Rosa


Laws



Electronic Devices





Level of Complexity

















malbers, 08/17/12,

You must introduce the chart if you are going to use it as a final comparison. The must be some symmetry to the document. Where is your recommendation and reasoning?


Irwin/Wu


Laws



Electronic Devices





Level of Complexity




Not Applicable




Not Applicable




Not Applicable




Not Applicable

malbers, 08/17/12,

You were too passive in your analyses of this book. Consider going back and being fair and concise in your evaluation.



Introduction

In this comparative analysis, the two books being evaluated are The Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits by Roland E. Thomas and Albert J. Rosa and Basic engineering Circuit Analysis by J. David Irwin and Chwan-Hwa Wu. The purpose of this report is to comparatively analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each book, and upon this analysis, make a recommendation of which book is appropriate for a sophomore level Circuits I class.

The analysis will be done based on the following criteria especially in the subject matter that is the most critical to mastering the course. The subjects to be considered in this evaluation will be Kirchoff’s laws, Node-voltage analysis, Mesh-current analysis, Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits and electronic devices. The areas under evaluation within these five subjects are topic coverage, level of complexity, exercises, figures, and examples. These subject areas were chosen because they are fundamental to the circuits class and to the classes that proceed the circuits class.





Criteria



malbers, 08/17/12,

move up to close criteria

malbers, 08/17/12,

need to develop the idea of complexity of why it is being used in the criteria.

malbers, 08/17/12,

I would suggest a list


Evaluation

Organization/Layout



Rosa and Thomas:The Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits

Kirchoff’s Laws

In the Rosa and Thomas book Kirchoff’s Laws were placed at the beginning of chapter two. The laws were presented in a logical manner with the authors first identifying Kirchoff’s current law and then Kirchoff’s voltage law. The coverage of the material was adequate enough so that the reader could grasp the concepts fairly well. The complexity of the material was drastically reduced by the authors presenting the material in a way that was visually pleasing to the eye. This was done through the use of two different colors used to visually separate equations, important points and figures. There were also ample exercises included for the student to practice the concepts just learned. The figures were placed near the text that referenced them, and they accurately described what was being discussed. There were a couple of figures that demonstrated KVL and KCL. There was also ample white space around the figures with a different color caption to distinguish them. The examples in this section of the book were also very good in that they adequately assessed the material that was just discussed before the example problem. After looking through the examples, the reader felt more knowledgeable and confident about the problems.

malbers, 08/17/12,

not defined should be defined in the second sentence if using the Acronym

malbers, 08/17/12,

you could also use a table to address some form of organization criteria

malbers, 08/17/12,

I would use this section(organization) as part of the conclusion


In the Irwin and Wu book, Kirchoff’s Laws were also placed at the beginning of chapter two. The coverage of the material was descent, but the contents were not presented in a very logical way. The authors didn’t use any other color in the entire section except to distinguish the figures and exercises. Therefore, it seemed as though everything just ran together. The language was more complex, making it more difficult to understand what the authors were trying to express. The exercises were more scarce, so that the student didn’t get adequate practice. The figures were good, but they didn’t really stand out to show the significance of them. The examples were far more difficult in this book, because they started working problems with dependant sources which wasn’t even covered in the other book until chapter four.


In the Thomas and Rosa book, these two topics were covered very well. They presented Sstep-by-step instructions that are needed to develop node-voltage equations and mesh-current equations were presented in organized fashion. They included several ways to solve the problems either by the equation method or inspection method. There was also a review on solving linear algebraic equations using Cramer’s rule and node and mesh analysis with voltage and current sources. The book also discussed supernodes and supermeshes. There were enough exercises so that the student would feel comfortable with working the problems at the end of the chapter. The figures again were ample and accurately conveyed the information in the text. Examples were very good in that even in the examples they provided a step by step breakdown of how to analyze these types of problems.




Electronic Devices

The coverage of electronic devices is important to a student at the Circuits I level because it is their first chance for exposure to these topics. It is the precursor to Electronics I and other electrical engineering classes to follow. In the Thomas and Rosa book Tthe topic, electronic

malbers, 08/17/12,

define method

malbers, 08/17/12,

should be rewritten to evaluate by book title not combined

malbers, 08/17/12,

is this important?

malbers, 08/17/12,

define the method

malbers, 08/17/12,

define the analysis


devices was covered very well in that they discussed the transistor, the op-amp, the comparator, the capacitor, and the inductor in great detail. The complexity of the topics was again drastically reduced by the layout of the material, and the distinction of the figures and calculations by the use of different colors. The exercises were ample, and were challenging enough. The figures were again done very well, and the examples were perfect for the exercises.

In the Irwin and Wu book, the coverage of electronic devices was not done very well. In fact, the book only contained a brief amount of information on op-amps, inductors, and capacitors. They didn’t even cover transistors or comparators which are the basic building blocks for an introduction to electronics. Therefore, because of the lack of information on any of these devices, the examples, figures, and exercises were also very scarce. Electronic Devices

Irwin and Wu: Basic engineering Circuit AnalysisK

Kirchoff’s Laws

Kirchoff’s Laws were also placed at the beginning of chapter two. The coverage of the material was descent, but the contents were not presented in a very logical way. The authors didn’t use any other color in the entire section except to distinguish the figures and exercises. Therefore, it seemed as though everything just ran together. The language was more complex, making it more difficult to understand what the authors were trying to express. The exercises were more scarce, so that the student didn’t get adequate practice. The figures were good, but they didn’t really stand out to show the significance of them. The examples were far more difficult in this book, because they started working problems with dependant sources which wasn’t even covered in the other book until chapter four.


In the Irwin and Wu book, this subject matter was not impressive by any means. The topic coverage was adequate enough, but the complexity was increased by lack of distinct separation of the two different topics. Difficulty in the exercises was present again with the addition of


dependant sources to the problems. The figures were bad and not really presented in a logical way. The examples were harder to follow, because there were no step-by-step methods included.

Electronic Devices


Conclusion

Thomas/Rosa


Laws



Electronic Devices





Level of Complexity

















malbers, 08/17/12,

need stronger conclusion than tables


Irwin/Wu


Laws



Electronic Devices





Level of Complexity




Not Applicable




Not Applicable




Not Applicable




Not Applicable

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