Is Math Knowledge for circuit design very important? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: provenprogram
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 03:36:14 pm
content: I'm just getting into circuit design.Do I need to worry because I don't know how to solve math equations to find current properties in a circuit and such?

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 03:43:14 pm
content: For most practical purposes basic math is all you need. Indeed there are many 'rules of thumb' that you will learn that will serve you well.If you can find 'Art of Electronics' for cheap it has loads of myth busting techniques to help you. (and it's a great read)

author: sacherjj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 06:21:40 pm
content: If you can handle Algebra, and look up the right formulas, you can do almost everything.

author: johnmx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 06:27:20 pm
content: You don’t need to have good math skills to design simple digital circuits. But this is not true if you want to design analog circuits, even simple ones.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 08:46:30 pm
content: Math helps. You will find niches where you don't need any serious math. But you never know in which area you end up,. Therefore it is the wrong strategy to right from the beginning set on a course to avoid math.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 10:29:01 pm
content: I'd suggest that an understanding of Math and physics is essential for any reasonable form of electrical or electronic engineering.However applied Math can be a lot easier to get your head around than high school Math. There's a lot more incentive to calculate the area under a curve when you can see a reason for doing so and it's a lot easier to understand when you have a real world problem that requires a solution.Math is essential but don't get too hung up on it, you can find help as you need it (online and in print). The problem with Math for Math sake is its usually (<-- note) taught by people with minimal ability and even less enthusiasm.If you like problem solving then Math becomes an integral part, if you dont like solving problems then you need to consider why you want to be doing any sort of engineering.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 10:33:00 pm
content: You rarely need anything beyond basic arithmetic. More advanced stuff can be useful if it's the sort of thing you understand and/or enjoy but not essential until you get into advanced analogue or RF stuff.

author: Sionyn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 10:40:57 pm
content: just stick at as brain cox says'i was never that good at math until i realised it was just practice'

author: RayJones
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 11:07:25 pm
content: Depends on the field of electronics.Recievers use dB's so understanding logarithms is of huge benefit.If you get into signal processing, you are likely to begin devling into the world of complex numbers where you can start pulling some really cool stunts like positive and negative frequencies that do have real world uses.But yeah, applied maths is far more likely to retain your enthusiasm when there is a clear a present need for the page of calculations you have perfomed.I use FFT's quite a bit, never understood how they do it, but understand the need.

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2011, 05:58:29 am
content: Typically you don't need much math for circuit design. You'll most likely rely on the manufacturer's datasheets and application information section. For example, if you were using the very popular MCP3603, you'd just use the equations given in the document:http://focus.tij.co.jp/jp/lit/an/slva252b/slva252b.pdf. ie, basic algebra.It's rare that you'll have to analyze a large circuit by hand, as typically you'll be putting together smaller pieces that have been well-established.It might be a good idea to have some signals and systems knowledge in general when doing system-level design, ie. designing filters.

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2011, 07:16:10 pm
content: Quote from: Uncle Vernon on May 18, 2011, 10:29:01 pmThe other extreme is that the teacher is only into pure mathmatics and will happily show mathmatical proof after proof while going completely off what he is supposed to be teaching.Neil

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 19, 2011, 10:11:31 pm
content: Quote from: Neilm on May 19, 2011, 07:16:10 pmAgreed! The best and most enjoyable math for an engineer will always be applied math. Math in isolation is pretty useless, using the concepts of math to determine actual outcomes is not the drudge that math for math sake is.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2011, 01:21:44 am
content: If you're just doing it for fun,& you have a grasp of Electronics Theory ( you will still need some maths to understandthings like Ohm's Law),you don't need to go very deeply into maths.A lot of "circuit design" is really copying application notes from manufacurers.(This is only commonsense,really,although a lot of people on this forum seem to want to re-invent the wheel).If you are going to become a real Engineer with a degree,you will have to do the Maths,anyway!Another thing is,if you do design something,& someone asks you about it,you may not be able to answer themsensibly if you can't quote the mathematical basis of your design.VK6ZGO