Physics 313 exam 2 review, Fall 2007

Written part: Thursday, Oct. 11

Oral/practical part: by arrangement with me (must be completed by Oct. 26)

Allowed materials: calculator, writing and erasing implements, one 3” x 5” index card or equivalent

Questions will emphasize the material covered in the second half of the course, but anything in the course (readings, lectures, labs, homework) is fair game.

Topics from second half of course:

Transistors

• Diode check; rules for operation (conditions on V_CE , V_BE ), current gain (β or h_FE)
• Characteristic curves (I_C vs. V_CE for different I_B); what they look like, what they tell you; saturation region
• Transistor circuits: emitter follower, common-emitter amplifier: quiescent points (biasing), current and/or voltage amplification, input and output impedance, what output for a given input looks like; transistor switch
• Be able to explain in words (supplemented by equations and sketches, if you wish) the chain of reasoning that gives us the expression –R_C/R_E for the gain of a common-emitter amplifier, starting with V_in increasing by a small amount DV_in.
• FET vs. bipolar (terminology, advantages/disadvantages)

Op amps

• terminology: inverting input, noninverting input, negative feedback, virtual ground
• typical open-loop gain, input and output impedances
• Golden Rules and the conditions under which they hold
• analyzing circuits using Golden Rules (figuring out V_out given V_in)
• behavior and characteristics of specific circuits: follower, inverting amplifier, non-inverting amplifier, current source, differentiator, integrator, current-to-voltage converter, slew rate (and frequency response)

• Op amp speaker amplifier with transistor push-pull (crossover distortion)
• positive feedback, Schmitt trigger/RC relaxation oscillator (switching points, frequency of oscillation)