Experiments Manual

The ninth edition of Electronics: Principles and Applications is based on the same philosophy of previous editions. It continues to be written so that a student needs no prior knowledge of electrical theory and principles and at a level that allows students with limited math and reading skills can gain a clear understanding and the entry-level knowledge and skills for a wide range of occupations within electricity and electronics.

Science rests on the twin pillars of experiment and theory. An experiment is more than mere collection of data. One should have a credible hypothesis to explain the mass of data. For example, Tycho Brahe, the Danish astronomer, had accumulated a large volume of data on the position of planets in the sky over many years of careful observation. Kepler analyzed this complex maze of data, and deduced three simple laws of planetary motion. Newton then introduced the hypothesis of attraction between two masses, inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two, and showed that all three laws of motion followed as natural consequences of this hypothesis. This is the path taken by any scientific discovery.

Science rests on the twin pillars of experiment and theory. An experiment is more than mere collection of data. One should have a credible hypothesis to explain the mass of data. For example, Tycho Brahe, the Danish astronomer, had accumulated a large volume of data on the position of planets in the sky over many years of careful observation. Kepler analyzed this complex maze of data, and deduced three simple laws of planetary motion. Newton then introduced the hypothesis of attraction between two masses, inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two, and showed that all three laws of motion followed as natural consequences of this hypothesis. This is the path taken by any scientific discovery.

Science undergraduates have come to accept the use of computers as commonplace. The daily use of portable sophisticated electronic calculators (some of them rivaling general-purpose minicomputers in their capa bi li ti es) has hastened this development. Over the past several years, computer­ assisted experimentation has assumed an important role in the experimental laboratory. Mini- and microcomputer systems have become an important part of the physical scientist's array of analytical instruments. Prompted by our beliefthat this was an inevitable development, we began several years aga to develop the curricular materials presented in this manual. At the outset, several objectives seemed important to uso First, insofar as possible, the experiments included should be thoroughly tested and error free. Second, they should be compatible with a variety of laboratory­ computer, data-acquisition, and control systems. Third, little or no previous background in either electronics or programming should be necessary. (Of course, such background would be advantageous. ) To satisfy these objectives, we decided to adopt a widespread high-level computer language, BASIC, suitably modified for the purpose. Furthermore, we have purposely avoided specifying any particular system or equipment. Rather, the functional characteristics of both hardware and software required are stipulated. The experiments have been developed using Varian 620 and Hewlett-Packard 2100 series computers, but we believe they are readily transferable to other commonly available computer systems with a minimum of difficulty.