first year ee: WHERE DO I START???

Hayt and Kemmerly's book is great, you can learn right from the text, you don't need a prof for that stuff, just get the section numbers you need to know. Work your way through the problems in the chapters and do as many as you have time for at the ends of the chapters. Sedra/Smith's book is adequate. Do the same thing. The other one I do not know. ECA covers electrical math and circuit analysis methods and is not particular to electronics at all. Sedra/Smith gets into electronic devices and electronic circuits. This seems like way too many books for one introductory course, seems like you could easily get 3 or 4 courses out of it, including at least one fairly advanced course.
The topics that must be mastered are all of them that your prof gives you. They WILL come up time and again, and be expanded upon, before you have your degree.
Also you might not want to user your real email address when posting, look around to see what 'tricks' people use. Unless you believe gmail is that good at blocking spam.

Consider yourself lucky. My first year of EE included NO electronics type courses, only a very abstract E&M course.
Don't know they other two, but do know this last one, even know where the office of the authors is...
It's an OK book, the first half is actually quite good, the second half is not so great IMHO. As a whole it's certainly WAY more then a first year will have to know, in fact that book served for two courses for me, one in second year (the first half of the book) and another in third year (the second half).
Personally I find there is NO substitute for doing things yourself. You can only learn so much from a book. As a first start I'd say learn how resistors work, and then buy a few, a volt meter and a 9V battery and try to duplicate the math. It's funny but something that simple will give you HUGE insight to some of the more complex stuff to come.
After resistor theory I say move to diodes and then BJTs. Buy a few BJTs and a few LEDs and hook them up and experiment with that.
After that you really should start getting into AC circuit theory, this is where the math starts to get kinda funky (imaginary numbers), and experimentation starts to require more serious equipment (i.e. signal generators and o-scopes).
Beyond everything I say try and hone your physical skills. It may not seem like it helps too much on the "book stuff", but trust me, when you're sitting there in an exam and can't remember the formula, being able to visualize the situation in your head can come to the rescue. I still can't remember certain formulas (i.e. the relationship between wavelength and frequency of radio waves), but being able to visualize it and remember a few clues lets you "construct" the formula in your head (that and units, checking units is a VERY powerful way of confirming a formula is correct).
There's nothing more sad then a 4th year EE student who doesn't know which end of the diode is the cathode (had a few of those in my fourth year). TTYL

in article snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com, surismart at snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote on 9/29/04 11:04 AM:
First start by learning how to write English properly. Capitalize and punctuate properly. I am talking about inent to do otherwise and not occasional typos. Then I will go to the trouble of reading more of your post.
Bill

Engrlish Net Nanny! That is why he's chasing EE,
Seriously, know your mathamatics extreamly well, most all of it is math of one type or another.

Now that's certainly uncalled for. English isn't the only language on this planet, and being able to properly capitalize words will certainly rarely impact an EE not working in an english speaking country. I think you owe the op an apology.

IT is perhaps the worlds most advanced and prolific engineering schools... getting in is a great accomplishment in itself... if the prof is not communicating see if you can drop his course and get another professor next time.
On the books... get yourself an 'electronics for dummy's' type book first. high school level to get just the basic concepts down without all the complexity first...you can finish that in a week or two....then with that understood the books he has recommended should be much more viable for you.
If you want to make money in the engineering business, it will not happen unless you also get an MBA...then you will do real well... the rate of pay will double at least and you will be much much better off going into the management end of the business.
Phil Scott
course in i hardly throughly to the specially ______________________________________________________________ ___________

introductory course in and i hardly throughly ,starting electronics type to the books specially mastered,or 1.Electronic Devices and know where the second half is first year for me, one in third year (the yourself. You learn how battery and try will give you Buy a few BJTs theory, this is numbers), and (i.e. signal It may trust me, can (i.e. waves), you checking correct). which end of year). TTYL
I am not an EE (ME) but the advice is superb... IT is also heavy on such things its a world class school ... unfortunately for American engineers.
Phil Scott

in article snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com, repatch at snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote on 9/29/04 6:58 PM:
My experience is that engineers write proposals, reports, instructions, etc. where the reputation of the writer and the employer are at stake. Many dollars of contracts often depend upon how well such writings are prepared. Engineers also make presentations to customers as well as technical audiences. More than once, I just did not read items becasue they were so poorly written and thought out. If you do not care about such things just keep on cutting corners.
Bill

Well actually,we don't have to read all of the aforementioned books cover-to-cover,but each book has been recommended for certain topics.
thanks,i'll do something about it.

Thanks repatch.That was a very helpful post.I guess ,i'll join the Electronics club in my institute,for they have all the electrical devices u metioned(CRO and stuff). Thanks again.

All true, but you missed my biggest point: English isn't the only language on this planet.
The op mentioned he was in India, I'm certain that with the language he uses most he has proper grammer. It's english where he isn't 100%, but if he'll never use much english in his career it simply doesn't matter.
How good is your grammer in languages other then your mother tongue? I know mine is horrid.

Those are some sweeping generalizations. Many people do just fine with nothing but a bachelor's in engineering. Statistically I'm sure an MBA does pay, and pay well. I would not say that pay rate will 'double at least'. There are even organizations in which specialist engineers can pull in as much as or more than typical management. Also, 'much much better off going into management' wouldn't be true if someone ACTUALLY ENJOYED doing electrical engineering, even if it was for a bit less money. Now normally I wouldn't even have responded, but if we are giving an impressionable young mind advice on his career and future then let's don't put it all out of proportion.
j