Essential Books for EE Students - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Phaedrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2014, 05:25:37 pm
content: So I'm going back to school this fall to finally get a degree. I dropped out of college a couple of years ago due to monetary issues, but now I'm back in shape to get back to it! Also I've changed my major from geology to EE of course...Since my first semester will be finishing up my math and physics reqs, I'd like to know what might be some good EE books for self-study. The ones currently in my cart based on forum recommendations:The Art of Electronics- Paul Horowitz *Practical Electronics for Inventors(3rd edition) - Paul ScherzEngineering Mathematics(7th edition) - K.A. StroudI want to get a broad grounding in both theory and practice.What would you recommend?*I used to have a pirated scan of The Art of Electronics. It was extraordinarily helpful in getting me started. Figure I'll pick up the actual book, to have a more convenient and readable form factor.

author: t3chiman
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2014, 06:56:12 pm
content: Quote from: Phaedrus on May 08, 2014, 05:25:37 pmAh, I was hoping that someone would ask this question....It's a bit nonstandard, I realize. But I recommend getting in a copy of:Qualitative Reasoning about Physical Systems. Computational Models of Cognition and PerceptionDaniel G. Bobrow (ed)MIT books 1985ISBN 0-262-02218-4It contains a number of articles describing the way that engineers reason about circuit structure and behavior.In particular:de Kleer; "How Circuits Work"Williams; "Qualitative Analysis of MOS Circuits"Davis; "Diagnostic Reasoning Based on Structure and Behavior"There is no magic to it. All of the insights and reasoning styles they describe, you would have discovered on your own sooner or later. It's just that this book saves you a few years of frustration and disappointment. "RTFB and prosper", words to live by.Incidentally, there is another, much larger collection of articles, confusingly titled "(Readings in) Qualitative Reasoning about Physical Systems". This is aimed at a broader audience, and so is not as helpful as the first recommendation. But it has a nifty little entry on Troubleshooting of Analog Circuits that you might find helpful.HTH

author: Phaedrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2014, 08:27:37 pm
content: Thanks. Anything else useful?

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2014, 09:34:53 pm
content: Whatever books are in the syllabus for the classes you are taking right now...Focus on passing all your classes. You don't need the additional stress of thinking you need to understand everything RIGHT NOW! People like to bash college as not teaching you anything, but that's just not fundamentally true. Your professors should give you all the materials you will need to learn the subject at hand and pass that class. If you spend all the time you should be spending on studying the current material for all your classes and really understanding that, then you will get plenty of knowledge (and not have a ton of spare time left over). Engineering degrees are hard. Don't make it any harder on yourself. There is a reason they pace classes for an EE degree the way they do. If you skip ahead, you often times won't have the basis for really understanding the advanced stuff.

author: t3chiman
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2014, 10:36:44 pm
content: Quote from: Phaedrus on May 08, 2014, 08:27:37 pmSure. Always happy to spout off...To be an EE these days is to construct networks. You have to know your communicating finite state machines.Samek;Practical UML Statecharts in C/C++. Some UML-induced confusion regarding Mealy vs Moore semantics (Mealy, please), but very detailed. Free tools.Kozierek;http://www.tcpipguide.comA free guide to TCP/IP. Start with Point-to-point protocol, get comfortable with framing.CODASYL82;A Modern Appraisal of Decision TablesFree copy athttp://www.econ.kuleuven.ac.be/tew/academic/infosys/research/prologa/CODASYL82/CODASYL82.pdfCommercialized athttp://www.brcommunity.com/but lots of free stuff.Construct your system spec as adecision table. Whatever your implementation language du jour, cast your action logic in the form of adispatch table, coupled to your event recognizer logic.Finally, if the historical struggle for dominance among the network protocol contenders interests you (btw, TCP/IP started out as a long shot), look up Padlipsky'sElements of Networking Style. He's quite a quirky writer; I am forever indebted to him for the termtechnotheological.HTH

author: JeanF
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2014, 10:51:03 pm
content: Quote from: t3chiman on May 08, 2014, 06:56:12 pmThanks for this uncommon recommendation. Looks interesting indeed ! And it can easily be found second-hand on Amazon. I'll give it a try !

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2014, 02:56:33 am
content: Its not really electronics oriented but has lots of good info in it about old school laboratory work but no lab is complete without "Procedures in Experimental Physics" It is available from Lindsey press. There is a more modern version that I believe is called Building laboratory apparatus or something like that. I like the original better though.Update!!Lindsey press shut down! Mr. Lindsey retired. A total loss to education and knowledge. Snag up one of those Procedures in Experimental Physics books wherever you can find it!