Exams¶
The exams are all closed book and closed notes. Students are permitted to bring writing utensils, erasers, and a calculator. Students will be provided with crib sheets.
No laptops, phones, or any other equipment or materials are necessary or allowed
Crib Sheets¶
The crib sheets provided below are cumulative. For example, the Exam 1 crib sheet will also be provided for Exam 2 in addition to the Exam 2 crib sheet
Previous Exams¶
Entries showing as non-clickable have not been uploaded.
Semester |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2025 |
|||
Spring 2025 |
|||
Fall 2024 |
|
|
|
Spring 2024 |
|
||
Fall 2023 |
|
|
|
Spring 2023 |
|
||
Fall 2022 |
|
||
Spring 2022 |
|
||
Fall 2021 |
|
||
Fall 2019 |
|||
Spring 2019 |
|||
Fall 2018 |
|||
Spring 2018 |
|
||
Fall 2017 |
|||
Spring 2017 |
|||
Fall 2016 |
|||
Spring 2016 |
|||
Fall 2015 |
|||
Spring 2015 |
|||
Fall 2014 |
Exam 1 Typical Questions¶
Circuit Analysis
Be able to handle combinations of parallel and/or series resistors
You may be asked to give resistance expressions in equation form, rather than as a number.
Be able to find voltages or currents through any resistor
Be able to find the total resistance or current
Know the voltage divider equation.
Be able to find the voltage across a resistor in a voltage divider configuration.
Filters
Understand how capacitors behave at very low and high frequencies.
Understand how inductors behave at very low and high frequencies.
Be able to redraw a given RL, RC or RLC circuit at low and/or high frequencies and identify low pass, high pass, band pass and band reject filters.
Know how to find the resonant frequency of RLC circuits. Remember \(\omega=2\pi f\)
Know how to find the corner frequency of RC and RL circuits.
Be able to determine resonant frequency (or \(\omega\)) and corner frequency (or \(\omega\)) given a semi-log plot of the input and output of a circuit.
Be able to identify what will happen to a signal of a certain frequency when it is applied to an RC, RL, or RLC filter. Will the filter pass it, reject it, or do something in between? What will the output voltage be relative to the input voltage?
Remember you can identify the value of a voltage at a point using knowledge of connection to ground, connection to source voltage, location of an open circuit, location of a short, or the voltage divider rule.
Transfer Functions and Phasors
Be able to apply the voltage divider equation and parallel and series combination rules to find transfer functions using complex impedance expressions. Also be able to simplify these expressions.
Be able to simplify the transfer function to find a function which governs behavior at low and high frequencies.
Be able to find the magnitude and phase of the simplified transfer function at low and high frequencies.
Be able to to simplify the transfer function to find a function which governs behavior at the corner or resonant frequency.
Be able to find an expression (or value) for the magnitude and phase of the simplified transfer function at the corner or resonant frequency.
Be able to use the transfer function to determine the output amplitude and output phase of a circuit given the input amplitude, input phase, and frequency.
Be able to identify low pass, high pass, band pass and band reject filters given a plot of the transfer function.
Be able to sketch magnitude and phase for low pass, high pass, band pass and band reject filters using their behavior at low frequencies, high frequencies and the resonant or corner frequency.
Be able to determine resonant frequency (or \(\omega\)) and corner frequency (or \(\omega\)) given a semi-log plot of the transfer function of a circuit.
Don’t forget the simple substitution of short and open circuits for capacitors and inductors. It is an easy way to double check transfer function behavior at low and high frequencies.
Transformers and Inductors
Know the basic equations involving transformers and how to apply them.
Know the basic characteristics of transformers.
Be able to calculate an unknown inductance given the capacitance or capacitance given the inductance.
Be able to calculate the resonant frequency given inductance or capacitance (or visa versa).
Be able to estimate the inductance of a coil when given some dimensions for the unknown inductor from the ideal formula.
Know whether or not this ideal formula will over estimate or under estimate the inductance of the coil.
LTspice, Instrumentation, and Components
Be able to identify which trace on a plot corresponds to which voltage point of a simple circuit.
Given an LTspice plot with time-varying signals on it, show that the signals satisfy the appropriate voltage and current relationships.
Given that you wish to obtain a particular AC Sweep, DC Sweep, or Transient analysis with LTspice, describe the specific steps you would follow. You will be given blank windows and asked which ones you will use and what numbers you will input.
Understand how to configure a function generator for a specific frequency, amplitude, dc offset, and duty cycle.
Describe how to use the multimeter to measure voltage and resistance.
Be able to explain the discrepancy between readings from on oscilloscope (or the DMM) and the function generator and why it happens.
Be able to read resistors and capacitors and find tolerances.
Know when equipment impedances and resistance of wires can and cannot be ignored.
Exam 2 Typical Questions¶
Damped Sinusoids and the Strain Gauge Bridge
Know the equation for a damped sinusoid.
Be able to determine the damping constant of a damped sinusoid given a plot.
Be able to find other properties of a damped sinusoid: initial amplitude, frequency, period, angular frequency, and DC offset.
Be able to identify passive circuits (no input voltage source) that produce sinusoids (LC) and damped sinusoids (RLC). Be able to relate the component values of these circuits to the properties of the sinusoid. The resonant frequency (in Hertz) is given by \(f=1/\left(2p\sqrt{LC}\right)\) and the damping constant (in 1/sec) is given by \(a=R/\left(2L\right)\).
Know what a bridge circuit is and how it is used in the experiments.
Know what a balanced bridge is and how to recognize a circuit that is balanced.
Know how to apply the equation that relates the frequency of a loaded beam to the mass at the end of the beam.
Thevenin Equivalent Sources
Be able to apply Thevenin equivalent method to a voltage divider, a Wheatstone Bridge or other simple configuration.
Be able to find the Thevenin resistance
Be able to find Thevenin voltage
Be able to draw the Thevenin circuit with or without a load
Be able to use a voltage divider to determine voltage across a load placed on the Thevenin equivalent circuit.
Op Amp Applications
Know how to recognize the amplifier configurations we have already seen: inverting, non-inverting, buffer, differentiator (real and ideal), integrator (real and ideal), differential, and (weighted) adder.
Know the characteristic equation (in the time domain) that governs each circuit above.
Know the transfer function (in terms of j and w) that governs each circuit above.
Know the characteristics and limitations of op-amps.
Know what a voltage follower (buffer) is and why you would want to use it in a circuit.
Know how to apply the characteristic equation of an op amp to find the gain, input voltage, output voltage or resistances given the other values.
Understand how to find an equation for the behavior of a circuit involving more than one op-amp circuit in series: \(H_{total} = H_1 \times H_2\).
Understand how to apply the equation for the combined behavior of an op-amp circuit to digital-to-analog conversion or other task.
Op Amp Analysis
Know how to use the op amp equations to derive the transfer function for all of the amplifier circuits studied: inverting, non-inverting, buffer, differentiator, integrator, differential, and (weighted) adder.
Know how to use the op amp equations to derive the transfer function for a simple circuit similar to the above.
Integrators/Differentiators
Be able to sketch or recognize the output of a simple op-amp circuit given the input. Note that we are especially interested in the amplitude and phase effects of integrators and differentiators.
Know the basic mathematical concepts behind differentiation (slope of curve) and integration (area under curve).
Know that real integrators and real differentiators only work well at certain frequencies.
Be able to recognize the characteristic curve (sweep of magnitude and/or phase) of both integrators and differentiators.
Be able to identify frequencies at which integrators and differentiators are working more-or-less correctly given an AC sweep of the transfer function magnitude or phase.
Know how to apply the equation for the corner frequency of an integrator or a differentiator to determine an estimate of when these circuits will be acting ideally and when they will be acting like an inverting amplifier.
Exam 3 Typical Questions¶
Astable Multivibrators (555-Timers)
Be able to apply the equations for \(T_1\), \(T_2\) and frequency given \(R_1\), \(R_2\) and \(C\).
Be able to find values of \(R_1\), \(R_2\) or \(C\) given \(T_1\), \(T_2\) or frequency.
Given a plot of the output of an astable multivibrator circuit, be able to determine \(T_1\), \(T_2\), \(T\) and frequency. Also be able to use these to find values for \(R_1\), \(R_2\) and/or \(C\).
Be able to find the equation for duty cycle and understand how it is related to the resistor values.
Be able to recognize the output plots for pins 3 (output), 2 (trigger), 6 (threshold) and 7 (discharge). Also know the pin names.
Be able to sketch the output (3), the capacitor voltage (2,6), and the discharge (pin 7) of a 555-timer circuit in astable mode versus time. If you are given values for \(R_1\), \(R_2\), \(C\) and the source voltage, you should know the voltage range of the signals at pin (2,6) and 3. You also be able to estimate the signal at pin 7.
Be able to find the decay constant for the charge and discharge cycles of the capacitor in the astable mode circuit.
Understand how the pulses from an astable multivibrator circuit can be used to do pulse width modulation.
Combinational Logic Circuits
Be able to identify the following logic gates: AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR (EOR), XNOR, NOT.
Know the truth tables for the following logic gates with up to four inputs: AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR (EOR), XNOR, NOT.
Be able to draw a truth table or timing diagram for a digital circuit.
Be able to recognize or sketch the output timing diagram of a digital circuit.
Know the LTspice conventions for naming the input and output pins of logic gates.
Be able to use Boolean algebra to describe the overall or relative function of a digital circuit.
Be able to simplify simple Boolean algebra expressions.
Be able to name a NAND gate or other circuit as equivalent to one of the logic gates above.
Sequential Logic Circuits
Be able to identify or sketch the output of a counter or a J-K flip-flop.
Be able to draw a truth table for a J-K flip-flop.
Understand how a flip-flop can be used as a memory device.
Understand how many bits each counter has, what behavior each bit exhibits, and how to string counters together to count higher.
Know what the function of the clock is in the flip flop and counter.
Understand the effect of clock pulse timing can have on flip-flop outcome.
Understand the function of the clear signal to counters and flip-flops.
Know what a race condition is and how to prevent one.
Understand how to string flip-flops together to make a counter.
Be able to recognize or sketch the output timing diagram of a sequential logic circuit given the clock signal.
Understand what a clock is and what it looks like in LTspice.
Schmitt Triggers and Comparators
Understand the difference in function between a comparator and a Schmitt trigger in the presence of noise.
Be able to sketch the output from a comparator and Schmitt trigger from a given input.
Be able to identify the point at which a Schmitt trigger will switch when voltage is increasing and decreasing.
Be able to define hysteresis.
Understand the relationship between hysteresis and when a Schmitt trigger switches.
Understand the model of a Schmitt trigger explained in class and in your book. Be able to find the switching thresholds and hysteresis of a circuit using this model.
Be able to determine hysteresis of a Schmitt trigger from a plot of \(V_{in}\) vs. \(V_{out}\) and/or \(V_{out}\) vs. time.
Understand what saturation of an op-amp is and how it relates to the function of comparators and Schmitt triggers.
Be able to recognize, identify, and sketch traces from comparators and Schmitt triggers.
Be able to calculate voltages at different points in a switching circuit with comparators and Schmitt triggers.
Switching Circuits
Know how to model a transistor as a switch.
Know how to draw the “diode” model of a transistor.
Be able to define and identify the base, emitter and collector of a transistor.
Be able to recognize, identify, and sketch traces from a simple circuit involving transistors, comparators, Schmitt triggers and/or relays.
Be able to redraw a simple circuit using the switch or diode model of a transistor.
Be able to redraw and analyze a circuit when a relay is in either position.
Be able to calculate voltages at different points in a simple switching circuit.
Be able to identify a combinational logic gate given a simple transistor model.
Diodes: Rectifier Circuits and Limiter Circuits
Understand the i-v characteristic curve for diodes (and Zener diodes). Know the terminology and characteristics.
Be able to recognize full-wave rectifiers, half-wave rectifiers, smoothing circuits, regulators and limiters (clippers) from their circuits or characteristic plots.
Understand the effect that the threshold voltage of the diode(s) has on output of the above circuits.
Understand how the output of the above circuits would look for signals with input voltages of different amplitudes.
Be able to sketch a plot of the output voltage vs. the input voltage for the above circuits.
Zener Diodes
Understand the effect Zener diodes have in a limiter or voltage regulator.
Know how to interpret output plots for inputs of different voltage levels in circuits involving Zener diodes.
Be able to determine output voltage levels for different input voltages in a Zener diode circuit.
Understand the i-v characteristic curve for and Zener diodes. Know the terminology and characteristics.
Be able to approximately reproduce or identify the plots Zener diode voltage regulation. Note that both DC sweep and transient analysis were asked for.
LEDs and Phototransistor Circuits
Understand the proper configuration of LEDs in circuits and how they operate.
Understand the proper configuration of phototransistors in circuits and their operation.
Be able to calculate voltages and currents in circuits containing these devices.