01 / Reading Guide
Reading Guide
Who this book is for
For engineering technology and undergraduate circuit students continuing after DC analysis. This is a substantial independent AC textbook, not the shorter laboratory manual or workbook on the same author page. It is useful when learners know resistive networks but need a consistent way to reason about phase, reactance and power.
Prerequisites
DC circuit analysis and algebra are prerequisites. Review Kirchhoff’s laws, equivalent circuits and network equations. Complex numbers, trigonometry and basic graph interpretation are needed for phasor and frequency-dependent analysis.
What it covers
Sinusoidal signals, complex numbers and phasors lead into reactance, impedance, series and parallel RLC networks, network theorems, nodal and mesh analysis, AC power, resonance, polyphase systems and magnetic circuits. The chapters combine worked examples, analysis and design exercises, challenges and simulation tasks.
How to use it
Sketch the waveform and choose a reference phase before converting quantities to phasors. Solve one network by hand and verify both magnitude and phase with a simulation. Explain what happens as frequency approaches a low or high limit. Keep peak and RMS quantities clearly labeled, especially in power calculations. Change a component value and predict the resonance shift before plotting it. Use the problem categories to move from routine calculation to a design decision with explicit constraints.
Edition and sources
The author’s full textbook route supplies the 422-page PDF, version 1.1.13 dated October 2, 2025. The author specifies CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 and separates manufacturer-owned data sheets. The same page’s lab manual and condensed workbook are companion resources, useful companions when a course requires laboratory or extra problem practice.
