Electrical Engineering Session 4

The first transistor, created at Bell Laboratories in 1947, was about 4 centimeters in size. Today, millions of transistors fit on a single computer processor chip—about the size of a postage stamp. Innovations like these are hallmarks of the exciting and challenging field of electrical engineering. This course explores foundational concepts, starting with electromagnetism. You’ll map the electric field lines generated by an electric charge and investigate current, voltage, resistance, energy, and magnetism. You will apply your conceptual understanding while drawing and analyzing series and parallel circuits, using mathematical tools such as Ohm’s Law and Kirchhoff’s laws. Then you and your classmates will design and construct your own circuits, working with resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, and transistors. You’ll examine electromagnetism’s applications to practical, everyday devices such as motors, lifting magnets, and stereo speakers, and gain an understanding of cutting-edge topics in the field, including the physics behind solar cells and solid-state electronics. By the end of the course you will have a deeper understanding of electrical engineering and its many applications in everyday life.