Elevating my Understanding of Electrical Engineering

AI Thread Summary
Alec is seeking recommendations for a well-written book on Electrical and Mechanical Engineering that explains the underlying principles of processes, particularly in building custom radio transmitters and receivers. He emphasizes the need for practical applications rather than beginner-level content. Forum members suggest starting with foundational texts to solidify his understanding of electrical engineering basics before progressing to more advanced materials. The ARRL Radio Amateur's Handbook is recommended as a good resource for high-level concepts and hobby electronics. A strong grasp of engineering fundamentals, including the necessary math and models, is essential for deeper learning and circuit design.
Alec049
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Hello PhysicsForum's,
Over the last couple months I've been studying electrical engineering and I think I have pretty good grasp of the basics. I am a computer programmer so dealing with math and logical problems are not foreign to me, however, I've hit a road block. I realize now that I can't learn Electrical Engineering the same way I learned programming. I need a well written book. So, I was wondering if any of you could recommend me a book on Electrical/Mechanical Engineering.

I'm looking for a book that:
*Focuses heavily on the why the processes described works.
*Has some real practical use and isn't just for beginners or idiots.
*Explains in-depth on how to build custom radio transmitters and receivers, and explains why they work.
*Does not focus on things such as fixing household electronics.

As I said before, I'm a computer programmer and I'd really like to merge my understanding for software with the hardware side of things. I believe this could many doors for me, and I really appreciate any help I get.Thanks,
Alec
 
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ARRL Radio Amateur's Handbook gets my vote.
 
jim hardy said:
ARRL Radio Amateur's Handbook gets my vote.
Alright awesome, thanks Jim, I'm on my way to the library now to see if I can find a copy of it.
 
I would say if you are truly interested in learning the engineering side to the extent of understanding the why a circuit works, you need to start with the basics of Electrical Engineering. You should find the book used in an intro to Electrical Engineering so you might begin to understand how to analyze a circuit.

I agree that Jim has given you a suggestion of a good source to understand from a high level and some very basic "hobby" electronics information. You will need to determine if your interest in learning is from a hobby side where you will only construct and use information that others design, or if you want to design a circuit from the ground up and know why all the items are used.

Engineering is mainly about the understanding of how to analyze with the math behind and the models utilized. So as is hinted at above by others, if you understand the Engineering basics (the models and math), then continue with the Engineering text.

In my opinion.
mitch
 
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