Module Overview

Safety and the Environment

Electrical safety. Electric shock and factors affecting its severity. Basic first aid techniques for electric shock. Idea of risk assessment in workshop. PPE. Workshop electrical safety system. Tools/power tools. Testing on 'live' equipment. Personal injury. Manual handling. Working in limited space/at height. Duty of care. WEEE Directive, Environmental impact of electrical waste. Safe disposal of electrical waste. Introduction to energy efficiency in the design and implementation of basic circuits and wiring systems.

AC Analysis

This aspect of the subject builds upon the AC analysis presented in Circuit Theory in semester 1. Definition of cycle, period, frequency and amplitude of sinusoidal waves. Equation of sinusoidal waves in the time domain and the concept of phase shift. Phasor representation of sinusoidal waves. Characteristics of passive components in ac circuits. Concept of reactance and impedance of passive components. Analysis of series and parallel RL, RC and RLC ac circuits using complex numbers in rectangular and polar forms. Series and parallel resonance in RLC circuits. RC and RL transient analysis.

Fields and Electromagnetic Theory

The nature of electrical current and electrical charge. Capacitors and capacitance: electric fields, dielectrics, parallel plate capacitor, capacitors in series and in parallel, applications of capacitors. Concept of magnetic fields, field strength and flux. Simple magnetic circuits. B-H curves. Induced emf, self-inductance and inductors, inductors in series and in parallel, energy stored in an inductor, mutual induction. Applications of electromagnetic induction: The transformer, it’s operation and application. Electric bell, solenoid, moving coil instruments.

The module is delivered through a series of lectures, laboratory activities as well as student self-directed learning including assessment activities.

Module Content & Assessment
Assessment Breakdown	%
Formal Examination	50
Other Assessment(s)	50