Looks like a neat book. I’d stress early on, once you get to inductance and capacitance, that the energy in a circuit is contained in the fields, which are the consequences of charges (or vice versa). It’s the fields that matter.
When you flip that switch, the drift velocity of charges in (on) the bare copper is only a few cm/s, but the field propagates at the speed of light, between the wire and it’s return (mathematically convenient ground). The energy is around the wires in the fields. The only true ground is at infinity.
If you can get that drilled into your head from early on, it will be beneficial to high speed circuits and RF. Introductory books never do that.
I am an EE with a degree from a big ten university. Now turning 66. What amazes me about electronics/computer science is how much I do not know and how much I am still learning.
Thanks for the feedback. I agree so much with you about the importance of fields and keeping track of energy! And so much confusion about ground... "The only true ground is at infinity." is perfect.
When I get to inductance and capacitance, I'll definitely be looking at them from a field and energy perspective.
When you flip that switch, the drift velocity of charges in (on) the bare copper is only a few cm/s, but the field propagates at the speed of light, between the wire and it’s return (mathematically convenient ground). The energy is around the wires in the fields. The only true ground is at infinity.
If you can get that drilled into your head from early on, it will be beneficial to high speed circuits and RF. Introductory books never do that.