Fundamentals of electric circuits, 2nd edition

PREFACE
Features
In spite of the numerous textbooks on circuit analysis available in the market, students often find the course difficult to learn. The main objective of this book is to present circuit analysis in a manner that is clearer, more interesting, and easier to understand than earlier texts. This objective is achieved in the following ways: • A course in circuit analysis is perhaps the first exposure students have to electrical engineering. We have included several features to help students feel at home with the subject. Each chapter opens with either a historical profile of some electrical engineering pioneers to be mentioned in the chapter or a career discussion on a subdiscipline of electrical engineering. An introduction links the chapter with the previous chapters and states the chapter’s objectives. The chapter ends with a summary of the key points and formulas. • All principles are presented in a lucid, logical, step-by-step manner. We try to avoid wordiness and superfluous detail that could hide concepts and impede understanding the material. • Important formulas are boxed as a means of helping students sort what is essential from what is not; and to ensure that students clearly get the gist of the matter, key terms are defined and highlighted. • Marginal notes are used as a pedagogical aid. They serve multiple uses—hints, cross-references, more exposition, warnings, reminders, common mistakes, and problem-solving insights. • Thoroughly worked examples are liberally given at the end of every section. The examples are regarded as part of the text and are explained clearly, without asking the reader to fill in missing steps. Thoroughly worked examples give students a good understanding of the solution and the confidence to solve problems themselves. Some of the problems are solved in two or three ways to facilitate an understanding and comparison of different approaches. • To give students practice opportunity, each illustrative example is