Circuit Analysis For Dummies

Of all the Dummies books, and I've reviewed dozens, this is the least likely to fit the "series" philosphy as a beginner's book. Still, by definition, if you get a book on Fourier Transforms for "dummies" for example, the title is already an oxymoron. Same with this little gem. If you don't have deep linear algebra (vectors, matrices, reduction to diagonals via numeric methods, etc.) and a good solid ability to solve differential equations (in advanced classes circuits use Fourier analysis and Laplace transforms as well as, today, Lagrangians in dynamical systems), PASS on this book, even though it's a great price/value for the material if you are ADVANCED-grad level, but not necessarily an EE. If there can be such a thing, Schaum's is the real "beginners" circuit analysis book-- Schaum's Outline of Basic Circuit Analysis, Second Edition (Schaum's Outline Series) -- IF you get it from an Amazon third party, be SURE it is the SECOND edition--, because it is filled with WORKED problems. (This fine "dummies" book has answers, but no explanations of the steps, such as the fact that if you find a transform, the tough part of the answer is then in "transforming" by going back to the inverse). ODE's are equations of functions, and without at least a year of linear algebra, you'll be lost). I think what some other reviewers miss is that this book IS a five star wonder for advanced students. It should NOT have been included in a "dummies" title without more warning. Don't get me wrong, there are other "dummies" books on advanced topics, like differential equations or linear algebra themselves, but circuit analysis involves representing first component boards, then diagrams, mathematically. This takes very advanced trig (voltages are signals and information, not just potential changes), and the ability to see what is negative and positive and how that becomes part of the equation. As a PhD EE and roboticist, I can humbly say that this is as much art as science, and can take a lifetime to learn! In that sense, MOST EE's have felt, at one time or another, like dummies when trying to "get" a circuit in Matlab or Simulink, let alone VHDL or a user friendly helpmate like Spice. Robbins and Miller are really the "go to" authors in this field, and I am sorry to say as a budget conscious person that, in this area, you get what you pay for. In our librarian database they are preferred nearly 6 to 1 over any other circuit analysis text, for both undergrad and computer scientists in grad school taking an ancillary EE course. Even if you're a hobbyist, you need to first get the basics of Maxwell etc. before tackling dynamical systems and PDE's, even if you DO know linear algebra. You can see some reviews of R and M at: Circuit Analysis: Theory and Practice . All that said, for the price, this Dummies pony is highly recommended for the right audience, such as computer scientists with advanced math who only need circuits in passing rather than, as the publisher promotes, "to make the cut." If you are using Spice or another circuit analysis software package, the problems here will let you see what's beneath the ice, but the author does not get into code here. Get Robbins if you want/ need to make some "cut." Significantly, our patent circuit-analysis company (my day job) at payroy dot com has seen numerous Chinese translations of this and two similar texts for Chinese beginning undergrads. "Discrete math" has not been removed from the High School curriculum there, and includes linear algebra. Telling. For the hobbyist or truly budget conscious, a GREAT oldie but goodie from Schaums (still outstanding at this writing) is: 3,000 Solved Problems in Electrical Circuits . It covers not only analysis problems, but also design, components, rules of thumb, etc. for the "practical" circuit designer and analyst in both A and D. In that regard, NOTE that this latter little book (which, even from 1988 is a little more expensive than the dummies books) is for ELECTRIC, not just electronic circuits, so you're dealing with analog as well as digital topics, problems, examples and solutions. If you're in signal processing or other a/d fields, this might be the one for you. Millions of copies of the 3,000 series have been sold-- they're keepers! HOBBYISTS: For the BEST options in this field on a TIGHT budget, search Amazon with these two keyword combinations: 1. "Circuit Analysis Dover" and 2. "Circuits Dover". Dozens of wonderful classics will come up, some new for as little as $7 US. Especially if you're into RF/analog, etc. there is NO reason not to take advantage of the wonderful detailed math explanations even if you have to put up with a few outdated "vacuum tube" references. (Unless you're in VERY high voltage storage and transmission, where you still find 'em!). Library Picks reviews only for the benefit of Amazon shoppers and has nothing to do with Amazon, the authors, manufacturers or publishers of the items we review. We always buy the items we review for the sake of objectivity, and although we search for gems, are not shy about trashing an item if it's a waste of time or money for Amazon shoppers. If the reviewer identifies herself, her job or her field, it is only as a point of reference to help you gauge the background and any biases.

After reading the reviews, my end conclusion is the same as when Dr. J. told us he was writing this book. There is no such thing as "Circuit Analysis for Dummies", as much as there is no "Brain Surgery for Dummies". The title of the book is so very inappropriate for the complexity of the material. As a recent graduate, this book would have been helpful when I was taking the courses. More helpful than Schuams, which I have several copies. The Schuams gives a lot of equations, and short cuts to reference material, but if you want to understand the material, you need a full fledged book. It is unfortunate that the 'for Dummies" series are the people who contact Dr. J. to write the book. I feel if McGraw-Hill or some other publisher asked him to write it, then the reviews would not be as near critical. However, as a student of Dr. Santiago's, and I am reading the text, I don't find it very complicated, but at the same time the author was one of my professors until I graduated, so it's a matter of perception. So, in conclusion folks, there is nothing "for Dummies" about circuit analysis. Stick to "Sex for Dummies" if that's what your looking for. I will state this as clearly as I possibly can, and I hope other reviewers understand the point: Circuit Analysis is an ADVANCED discipline for Electrical Engineers. If you are a layman seeking to understand the basics of electrical devices, I suggest a course at your local community college. It is cheap and you will get the advanced mathematical concepts needed in order to perform circuit analysis. If you are a student, I will tell you he based his assumptions on what the reader will have to know upon a A.B.E.T. accredited program. In other words, as a student, you should have already passed all those calculus and physics courses before you took a circuits analysis course. Not all books labeled "for Dummies" means that the subject matter is easy to grasp. For a fact, circuit analysis cannot be performed without knowledge of Laplace or Fourier transform, calculus, or physics. There is a reason that Electrical Engineer programs have the title "The Second Toughest Degree Program in the United States" - because it is tough. This book was not written to be a short-cut to education, or a alternative to studying. It was written to help those struggling with the concepts to add some clarity to their perception. In that respect, Dr. Santiago aced it. I found the book well written, entertaining to read, and it is arranged in a linear fashion from simple to complex. I enjoyed it immensely.

This book is well organized for a quick trip through circuit analysis. I studied math at school and this Dummies' approach did minimize the math knowledge and sophistication generally required to actually derive the formulas needed which in my case was exactly what I needed. I am just trying to help my son learn a little more about circuit design so he can continue being interested in, rather than become frustrated with, electronics. This book was perfect for my objective.

The book gives a factual and rather fun method of learning basics about circuit analysis. This can be a very difficult topic to learn, but the author ateempts to simplify it while using strong examples. Is this a book to use as a text - NO!However, this book is a great addition to a textbook to help define some of the points that are frequently skipped or glossed over by standard textbooks. I have enjoyed this book and continued to use it for supplemntal reference. It is well worth the investment of money and time.

I graduated as an MS aerospace engineer in the 80's. After 15 years as an engineering program manager my basic engineering skills had diminished. For personal reasons I wanted get reacquainted with some of these basic engineering skills. I bought a few Engineering For Dummies books (Circuits, Thermodynamics, ect) and started reading them for entertainment. They are easy to following and understand. It was nice to brush up on basic engineering skills I had not used for many years. I wish I had these books available during my school years. They present the basics without all the details you get in an entry level engineering college textbook. A quick reading of the Dummies book prior to reading a more detailed college textbook probably would have made the learning process much easier and more fun.

This book is great. My friend in EE college courses told me I have covered as much as he did in over a semester, and I did it in about 3 weeks. I would recommend it to anyone learning this stuff, and actually bought it for two friends (as well as myself of course.) The problem is with THE ERRORS. And oh god believe me, there are errors in this book. There will be a big error that makes no sense, and then the author just rolls with it for the rest of the explanation. These aren't small things. These are errors that make or break your understanding of the concepts he's explaining. Luckily, I know my math well enough, and I write every equation down and do the calculations myself on paper. WHICH YOU NEED TO DO TO IF YOU READ THIS OR YOU WILL DEFINITELY BE LOST SOMETIMES!!! I have been reading this book daily, highlighting, taking notes, and revisiting the same page sometimes 3 days in a row and recalculating it just to get it into my brain. So believe me when I'm telling you: THERE. ARE. ERRORS...many. Honestly, maybe the fact that some of the things are wrong will make you learn more if you're really paying attention....but you better be DILIGENT! Pay attention when reading this book and don't take every single equation at face value! You need to do the in-between equations to check his work. Even when he gets the right answer, which, granted, is luckily most of the time, you need to do that just to understand the math well enough to be able to get anything done on your own. Some things are straight up dead wrong though--an alarming amount for a published book with NO ERRATA ONLINE. I know I'm just some guy leaving a review, but listen, I have confirmed the problems I've found with other people and multiple computer algebra systems to be absolutely 99.99% sure this is the case. I don't normally leave long-winded reviews complaining about things either. Given how much frustration and time I have wasted looking and writing and calculating and consulting with others and finding out each time that the book itself is wrong though, yeah...I'm gonna write a review to warn others...even if only a single person (you) reads this and understands this is the case, I could be saving someone literal hours of time. So watch out. Still a great book though that I would recommend heavily. You just need to be good at math so you can catch some of the things wrong. And you're probably going to save more time, even frustratingly figuring out what is going on when there's something wrong with the book itself, versus reading a huge college textbook designed to give students weeks worth of material instead of just giving them what they need to know. It's a good book. I would buy it. But be careful. That's all.

This book has incredible tools for circuit analysis. I had three or four "Aha!" moments just from thumbing through for a few minutes. Great tools for combining and calculating voltage and current sources, etc. with succinct explanations on how the methods work. Exactly what I needed and hoped for, worth every penny

This book is a great aid alongside taking a circuits course, there aren’t many practice problems, but the examples given are enough to grasp the overall understanding. Chapters are short enough to strengthen a concept quick if need be, not long and dragged out like some textbooks can be. Great book if you have some direction and practice with analysis beforehand or alongside of.