The discussion revolves around concerns regarding mathematical proficiency and its impact on a career in electrical engineering (EE). Participants share their experiences and perspectives on the importance of math skills, the nature of engineering work, and the potential for success in the field despite challenges in academic performance. The scope includes personal reflections, advice for current students, and insights into the engineering profession.
Participants generally agree that enjoyment of the field is important and that many students face challenges with math. However, there are competing views on the significance of academic performance versus practical skills in engineering careers, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding the long-term implications of early academic struggles.
Some participants note that the transition from academic settings to professional environments can differ significantly, particularly regarding the ability to correct mistakes. There is also mention of varying levels of interest in different engineering sub-fields and the potential for career shifts after graduation.
BuddhaBelly34 said:The only thing that concerns me is THROUGH/ACROSS. I am not sure I understand the difference.
Still Googling the topics you listed for your FE candidates. Trying not to overload my brain.
BuddhaBelly34 said:That makes perfect sense! I think I may have been measuring current incorrectly. With the above statement, if you measure current from one end of the resistor to the other you wouldn't get the same reading would you?
Damn my lab professor with his laissez-faire attitude toward teaching.
@ the second topic
Now it makes sense why amperage kills and not voltage. Increased flow of electricity allows the stopping of the heart, at even low voltages. So it's current = amount, voltage = intensity?
P=IV good lord I hope everything stays so easy.
BuddhaBelly34 said:This makes so much sense as to why I couldn't explain my results in my lab report. And I still got an A. I hate grades. They make no sense.
I speak with a lot of the Nepalese students in my classes and they tell me about their experience with school in Nepal. All I have to say is, holy crap. It's actually an accomplishment to pass high school there.
Okay, so with P=IV what does that tell us? Say a PSU for a PC. If I have a 650w PSU what does that mean? That it can send only a total of 650w (probably peak) across all of it's wires combined, or that it can send a total of 650w down each wire? Does what you say hold true for all PSUs?
Thanks so much for all of your help!
just to catch this, PSU is a power supply.BuddhaBelly34 said:Okay, so with P=IV what does that tell us? Say a PSU for a PC. If I have a 650w PSU what does that mean? That it can send only a total of 650w (probably peak) across all of it's wires combined, or that it can send a total of 650w down each wire? Does what you say hold true for all PSUs?
Thanks for that. Yehp PSU = power supply unit. Also, note 1 is very laugh worthy. To the point that a certification process needs to be done on units to make sure they do what they claim.earlofwessex said:Very good explanations psparky!
just to catch this, PSU is a power supply.
that 650W value should1 be RMS, and it can supply a total of that when you add up all the loads2. note that power is delivered over two wires, since it involves a voltage (which has to be between two places). almost universally in DC systems, the black wire is the return, called ground.
for eg: the potential difference will be between the Red and black wires, and the current will flow from the red wire through the load and back through the black wire (in the other direction, remember KCL?). these values give you your I and V for the eqn.
---
1Marketing/sales people will use any figure they can to make something sound better
2Things are actually a little more complicated than this, but the concept is what's important at the moment.
And I'm still reading through everything sparky.
psparky said:Take your time. Considering I just gave you 50% of EE...Im guessing it's going to take a while to digest. You won't get the full understanding until you start working sample problems...and you start struggling and asking questions. That's where the learning takes place.
Oh ya...forgot one more basic. (There are several details for sure...but you have a good start) When you have batteries hooked up in series...the you simply add the voltages of the batteries. So two 12 volt batteries in series will deliver 24 volts. When you have two batteries in parallel...the voltage remains the same...just the batteries will last roughly twice as long.
One good definition of "in parallel"...is "the voltage across is the same." So whenever you have 2 or more loads (resistors) in parallel...the voltage will be the same across each load. If the voltage is not the same...they are not in parallel.
psparky said:Considering I just gave you 50% of EE...Im guessing it's going to take a while to digest.
SophusLies said:More like 5%. The EE students that I met in school were math and physics freaks. Some more math and some more physics but they certainly weren't just V = iR kids. They all knew a ridiculous amount of Fourier-stuff, complex analysis, vector calculus, PDE's (for Maxwell's equations), and probability.
I would not take EE lightly for math. I'm not trying to scare you but you're going to see some very serious math in an EE curriculum. When I saw the EE kids in my upper level math or physics classes they thoroughly impressed me with their talents. When I took set theory we had an EE kid that absolutely destroyed the class. When I asked him what he was doing to master the things in the class he told me he learned most of this stuff indirectly in his digital logic design classes, lol.
SophusLies said:More like 5%. The EE students that I met in school were math and physics freaks. Some more math and some more physics but they certainly weren't just V = iR kids. They all knew a ridiculous amount of Fourier-stuff, complex analysis, vector calculus, PDE's (for Maxwell's equations), and probability.
psparky said:I respect your opinion...and it's great to know all the stuff you described...but for 99% of us electrical engineers...it's not really going to be used in our work career.
psparky said:but I wanted to give him a clear approach to what is coming...because proffesors are generally clear as mud.
BuddhaBelly34 said:My first professor told me that getting his undergrad in EE was harder than both of his graduate degrees in the field. Do you guys feel the same?
BuddhaBelly34 said:He said that he "studied" by literally copying down the book word for word. So I would say his method of studying is rote learning.
Maybe he's just crazy. Cool guy though.