Wright State University

EE 2010L
Circuit Analysis Lab: Bench Sections

TA

Shuo Li

Office Hours

li.139@wright.edu
TBD

RC 235

Attendance Attendance is critical and mandatory, and you must attend your scheduled lab
period. There are no unexcused absences from labs. An unexcused absence from a
lab period will result in an automatic grade of zero for that lab assignment, with no
exceptions. If you have an emergency, it is your responsibility to contact your TA as soon as
possible to arrange a time to make up the lab. Also, you will have to provide documentation
regarding your absence in order to be allowed to make up the missed lab.
Prelab Each lab assignment contains a prelab exercise. Both the lab assignments and prelab
exercises are available on the Pilot page for your lab section. You must read the weeks lab
assignment and complete the prelab exercises prior to each weeks lab period. The prelab
must be submitted to the EE department dropbox by 5pm the week before the lab. The TA
will grade and return them at the beginning of the lab. See the table below for a schedule of
prelab due dates and times.
Lab Day
Monday or Tuesday
Wednesday or Thursday

Prelab Due Date

by 5pm previous Thursday
by 5pm previous Friday

Data You will have the entire period of your lab section to complete the weeks lab. This usually
means wiring a circuit and taking measurements to collect data. You will record data on
carbon paper, which is provided in the lab, and you will turn in a copy of your data to the
TA before leaving. The data in your lab report must match the data you submit at the end
of the lab period.
Lab Reports You will have one week after the completion of a lab to write and submit a lab
report. Your lab report must follow the formatting rules described in this syllabus, and
failure to do so will result in a significant grade reduction. You must submit an electronic
copy of your lab report (in .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf format) to the dropbox in Pilot. No
late labs will be accepted for any reason. If the TA is not able to open the lab report,
you will receive a zero on that lab report. No re-writes will be allowed for any lab report.
Grades Your lab grade will be determined by the total number of points you receive over the
course of the semester. Each prelab is worth 10 points, and each lab report is worth 40
points. There will be a lab midterm worth 100 points and a lab final worth 200 points. See
the table below for a breakdown of lab grades.
Assignments
Prelabs
Lab Reports
Midterm
Final Exam

Number
10
10
1
1

Points Each
10
40
100
200

Total Points
100
400
100
200
800

No individual grades will be dropped, there will be no extra credit, and grades will be
assigned using a standard percent-based system, as outlined in the table below.
Percent
90-100
80-90
70-80
60-70
0-60

Points
720-800
640-720
560-640
480-560
0-480

Grade
A
B
C
D
F

Academic Dishonesty Any occurrence of academic dishonesty will result in automatic failure
of the course, and the incident will be reported to Judicial Affairs. While you will be
working with partners to collect data during the lab period, you all must write your own lab
reports individually. Any identical lab reports received will result in those students
receiving an F for the lab course, as well as being reported to Judicial Affairs for an
academic integrity violation.
As part of the submission process, lab reports will be scanned for originality and receive a
percent score showing how much they match other previously submitted material, websites,
etc. Any lab report showing an originality score of greater than 40% will be considered
plagiarised and will receive a zero grade for the assignment. Examples of behavior that will
be considered an academic integrity violation are:
Submitting someone elses lab as your own
Using someone elses lab data to write your report
Falsifying lab data to get better results
Re-using a lab report from a previous term
Posting lab or pre-lab questions online to solicit answers
Consulting other students previously submitted lab reports
If you have questions about what would or would not constitute an academic integrity
violation, you are encouraged to ask your TA or instructor!
Your Responsibilities As a student in this class, the following behavior is expected of you:
Attend all classes and complete your assignments on time.
Treat your fellow students, instructors, and other college employees with respect.
Participate appropriately and actively on topics presented in class.
Resolve problems by immediately discussing issues with your instructor and/or peers.
Statement of Non-Discrimination The Electrical Engineering Department staff and faculty
are committed to the open and free exchange of ideas that characterize a university
environment. The teaching faculty for this course will not tolerate any discriminatory
behavior from students. Students should also realize that making such an accusation against
a member of the course staff is a serious allegation. If a problem arises, it will be
investigated thoroughly. Unfounded accusations will be dealt with severely. See
http://www.wright.edu/students/judicial/policies.html for more information.

Lab Report Formatting Instructions

Your lab reports must be professional-looking and properly formatted. Any equations must be
formatted using an equation editor, and any tables must be logically laid out and include proper
headings and units. You should use complete sentences, proper punctuation, and correct grammar
and spelling. Your lab reports must contain the following sections:
Cover Page The first page of your lab report must be a cover page. Centered on the page,
on separate lines, you must include:
The lab number and title
Your name
TA: your TAs name
Partner: your lab partners name
Abstract/Introduction The first few paragraphs of your lab report should describe the
main theory that was studied in the lab. You should summarize how you collected data and
any calculations you made. You should also succinctly describe whether or not your results
supported the theory you were trying to demonstrate.
Acceptable Example: In this lab, we studied the basic relationship between current,
voltage, and resistance. This relationship is known as Ohms Law. Ohms Law is
defined as V = IR, where V is the voltage (measured in Volts), I is the current
(measured in Amperes), and R is the resistance (measured in Ohms). Our results
supported this relationship.
We measured voltage and current at various resistors in a network. Then we multiplied
the measured current values by the resistor value. We calculated a percent difference
between the calculated voltage and the measured voltage. Our percent difference was
small enough to say that the experimental results matched the theoretical data.
Unacceptable Example: This lab was about ohms law. Ohms law is V=IR. All of our
calculated I and R values were the same as the V value we measured. This was a god
experiment I learned a lot from it and it showed me ohms law. Ohms law is
interesting and every engineer should know about it.
Reason this is unacceptable: There is no explanation of Ohms Law; the equation is not
entered with an equation editor; and there is no description of how the lab was
performed (i.e., how the measurements were taken and caluclations made). Also, there
is poor grammar and spelling.
Data Each lab will involve collecting data. You must display that data in a reasonable and
coherent table. Most labs will include a percent difference between values you calculated in
the prelab exercise and the values you measure in the lab.
Acceptable Example:

v(V)
1.00
4.00
6.00
10.00

Calculated
i(mA) R(k)
1.00
1.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
3.00
2.50
4.00

v(V)
1.00
4.01
5.87
10.00

Measured
i(mA) R(k)
0.97
1.12
2.21
1.95
2.01
3.14
2.45
4.02

Percent Difference
i%
R%
3.56
11.32
9.98
2.53
0.50
4.56
2.02
0.50

 Unacceptable Examaple:
v
1
4
6
10

v
1
4.01
5.87
10

i
1
2
2
2.5

i
0.965
2.21
2.01
2.45

%
3.562341
9.976247
0.498753
2.020202

R
1
2
3
4

R
1.12
1.95
3.14
4.02

%
11.32075
2.531646
4.560261
0.498753

Reason this is unacceptable: There are no units given; it is not clear which values are
measured and which are calculated; the numbers do not have the same precision
(number of decimal places); and the table is sloppy and does not look professional.
Sample Calculations In this section, you should show how you used each equation. You
should show an example of the calculations you performed on your data, starting with the
equation in variable form, substituting data for each variable, and ending with an answer
labeled with appropriate units. You only need to show each calculation or equation one
time, even if you used the equation many times in your calculations. Remember to use an
equation editor to format the equations; hand-written equations will not be accepted.
Acceptable Example: In our prelab, we used Ohms Law (shown in Equation 1) to
calculate the expected voltage and current for each resistor. After gathering our data,
we then used Ohms Law again to calculate the voltages based on our measured
currents and resistances. A sample of these calculations is shown below.

= IR

(1)

= (2.25mA)(500)

= (2.25 103 A)(500)

= 1.125V

After collecting all of our data and completing our Ohms Law calculations, we then
calculated the percent difference between the measured and calculated voltages using
Equation 2, shown below. A sample calculation is also shown below.
|A B|

100
(A + B)
2
|1.10 1.25|
100
=
(1.10 + 1.25)
2
= 12.8%

Percent Difference =

(2)

Unacceptable Example:
V=IR=2.25mA*500ohms=1.125V
% Difference=ABS(A-B)/[(A+B)/2]*100=ABS(1.11.25)/[(1.10+1.25)/2]*100=0.15/1.175*100=12.8%
Reason this is unacceptable: The equations were not formatted with an equation
editor. There is no explanation given for the calculations, no variables are defined, and
inconsistent units are listed. It is unprofessional and hard to understand.

 Questions Each lab assignment has a list of questions at the end that you must answer.
Your answers should be complete, thorough, and written in a detailed and logical manner.
You should use equations numbers to reference any equations you mention, and appropriate
units must be used. Hand-drawn diagrams are acceptable, if they are needed to answer a
given question.
Error/Conclusion You are expected to be careful and diligent when performing any
experiment and taking data; however, it is extremely rare for measured values to exactly
equal theoretical values, and the purpose of this section is to explain any errors in your
calculations and measurements.
It is unacceptable to claim human error or say that you messed up while taking data, and
doing so will result in a zero grade for the lab assignment. If you are aware that you erred,
it is your responsibility to redo the measurements. It is also not acceptable to say that you
dont know why there were errors.
There is no room in a lab report for your personal feelings on how you think the lab went or
how much you enjoyed it. The report should be as objective as possible, and this means
eliminating any statements of opinion or emotion.
Acceptable Example: As our percent error is not zero, we know there is some error
involved in the measurement. The largest error in this lab comes from resistance in the
wires connecting the components. When we measured the voltage and current, there is
an additional resistance in the wires of the multimeter. This resistance is not factored
into our Ohms Law calculations.
Unacceptable Example 1: There was no errors here it was a good lab. All the
equipment worked well, I enjoyed the lab.
Reason this is unacceptable: Every lab has errors and uncertainties, and no
measurements are completely ideal. This is not an acceptable space for your personal
comments on the lab.
Unacceptable Example 2: The biggest error here was me and my partner did not set up
the circuit appropriately. We werent sure how to use the multimeter the right way so I
think some of our errors are because of that. Also we didnt measure the value of the
resistor we just went with what was on the color bands. So they are probably not
completely accurate either.
Reason this is unacceptable: This student is saying he or she did poor work. Sloppiness
and laziness are not acceptable excuses.

Study Guide/Course Schedule

Week 1 Lab 1: Basic lab equipment; measuring resistance, voltage, and current
DUE: Prelab 1 (by 5pm, Friday, August 29 in EE dropbox, 311 Russ)
Week 2 No lab meetings
DUE: Lab 1 Report due (one week after your lab section; upload to Pilot) and Prelab 2
Week 3 Lab 2: Resistor color code; breadboarding
DUE: Prelab 3
Week 4 Lab 3: Ohms Law; equivalent resistance
DUE: Lab 2 Report and Prelab 4
Week 5 Lab 4: Potentiometers; multi-loop circuits
DUE: Lab 3 Report and Prelab 5
Week 6 Lab Midterm
DUE: Lab 4 Report
Week 7 Lab 5: Current-dividers; voltage-dividers
DUE: Prelab 6
Week 8 Lab 6: Node voltage and mesh current
DUE: Lab 5 Report and Prelab 7
Week 9 Lab 7: Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits
DUE: Lab 6 Report and Prelab 8
Week 10 Lab 8: Using an oscilloscope
DUE: Lab Report 7 and Prelab 9
Week 11 Lab 9: First-order circuits
DUE: Lab Report 8 and Prelab 10
Week 12 No lab meetings
DUE: Lab Report 9
Week 13 Lab 10: RLC circuits
Week 14 No lab meetings
DUE: Lab Report 10
Week 15 Lab Final

EE 2010L Syllabus Acknowledgement Page

Remove this page from your syllabus and turn it in to your TA before leaving lab the first week.

I have read and understand the syllabus. I am aware of the following important items from this
syllabus:
All labs and prelabs count and none will be dropped from the final grade calculation
Late labs and prelabs will not be accepted for any reason
Prelab exercises are to be submitted to the EE department dropbox (311 Russ)
Lab reports are to be submitted online through Pilot
Grades will not be assigned on a curve
All students will be treated the same, and I will not ask for special consideration regarding
my grades
I am expected to behave in an ethical manner at all times
All work I submit will be wholly my own work
My lab partner and I are to turn in separate and distinct lab reports
My lab report will not be identical to my lab partners
Lab reports with originality scores of greater than 40% will be considered plagiarized and
will receive a zero grade
If I submit work that is not my own, I understand that I am violating Wright States
academic integrity policy
If I violate the academic integrity policy, I will automatically fail the lab course, and the
incident will be reported to Judicial Affairs.

Student Name (printed):

UID:

Student Signature:

Date: