Re: College EE Textbook Recommendations

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:49:19 -0700, "Joel Kolstad"
<JKolstad71HatesSpam@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message news:a0do03hd7km3q1ttje246eukj1v1r5911m@xxxxxxxxxx
On 29 Mar 2007 11:17:54 -0700, jmc8197@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Circuit compendia, "original books" such as by Win Hill et al "teach"
only to cut and paste... NOT how to think.

Circuit compendia, sure, but I think you're selling Win a bit short. Yes, he
has plenty of design examples, but those come *after* the theory and some
attempt to get you to think for yourself. Additionally, the design examples
are presented in such a way as to try to get the user to *think* about what
the circuit does, rather than just blindly copying it. The fact that we see
people here occasionally trying to analyze one of Win's circuits is proof of
that.

Clearly you're a very good designer, Jim, but surely you'd admit that you'd
probably be nowhere near as good as you are if you hadn't had the opportunity
to view other peoples' designs, analyze them, and learn from them? I.e., if
you'd just been taught electronics theory and had to derive every single
circuit toplogy you've ever used from scratch?

How many books are on your shelf? :-)

---Joel


3 - 6' x 30" and 1 - 7' x 4' Costco oak bookcases, full to the brim.

But I was ALWAYS mathematically inclined, using Algebra to calculate
at least the basic performance before I built.

I still do. Spice is only a design checker. If you don't analyse,
you will miss subtleties that will shoot you in the ass ;-)

Which is why I get frosted when (almost) no lurker here will even
attempt to analyse the simplest of circuits.

( I cut my teeth on an ancient GE transistor data book... and fried a
LOT of stuff... frying and analysing WHY is the best teacher ;-)

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
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