Introductory Electronics for Scientists and Engineers

Rating:
Summary: A Professor's View of "Introductory Electronics..."
Review: As a second year undergraduate Biomedical Engineering student I used Simpson's text for my first Biomedical Instrumentation class at Duke University. At the time the professor told us that we would have a tough time with the book, but over time we would find that it was an outstanding reference and as our sophistication grew we would come to appraciate it more. That has certainly been the case!

As a professor now, teaching my own Biomedical Instrumentation class I still find this text to be the best on out there. It provides a thorough background on many of the key concepts of Electrical Engineering including AC and DC circuits, Fourier analysis, Semiconductor Physics, Transistors, Op Amps, Op Amp Ciucuits, Digital Logic, and even microprocessors. Some of this is admittedly dated, especially the digital sections, but the fundamentals are all there and I have not seen another book that covers so much, so clearly.

One of the great features of this text is its practical bent. There is a whole chapter on noise; describing phyical sources and some ways of dealing with probelms. There is also an excellent appendix describing various types of capacitors, inductors, and resistors. It answers great questions like: Should I use a ceramic capacitor in my design or an aluminum electrolytic?

Of the roughly 50 books on the shelf in my office, this is the one that is most commonly missing. I recommend this book as an excellent reference in an area where there are a lot of books available.