Engineering Sciences

• ENSC E-123 Laboratory Electronics: Digital Circuit Design (Spring)
• ENSC E-129 Communication Systems and Technology (Spring)
• ENSC E-150 Introduction to Electrical Engineering (Spring)

ENSC E-123 Laboratory Electronics: Digital Circuit Design (22098)
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Thomas C. Hayes, JD, Lecturer on Physics, Harvard University.
4 units. Noncredit, undergraduate, and graduate credit $1,500. Limited enrollment.
Thursday, Feb. 5, 6-9:30 pm, Science Center, Room 206. Spring term
Students need proof of registration to be admitted to Science Center classrooms above the first floor.

This course forms the digital half of a two-semester sequence that provides a lab-intensive survey of electronics (the analog half of the sequence is PHYS E-123a). It covers digital design, emphasizing microprocessors and microcontrollers as well as programmable logic devices, and provides an understanding of the fundamentals of computer circuitry. After examining analog-digital interfacing issues, students will build a microcomputer from the chip level. They will apply this computer first to assigned tasks, later to individual projects. The student's microcomputer is based on an 8051-derivative microcontroller, chosen because it allows an easy transition, after the course is completed, from the course's pedagogically useful "transparent" design (using external buses and memory) to practical single-chip implementations. Each meeting includes a laboratory session. Prerequisites: high school algebra and some modest familiarity with analog electronics. PHYS E-123a is not a prerequisite.

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ENSC E-129 Communication Systems and Technology (22097)
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R. Victor Jones, PhD, Robert L. Wallace Research Professor of Applied Physics, Harvard University.
4 units. Noncredit and graduate credit $1,500.
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 7:35-9:35 pm, Maxwell Dworkin, Room G135. Spring term

An introduction to telecommunications that traces the development of various technical means for communicating and the evolution of our conceptual understanding of communication processes. General topics for discussion include representations of information-encoding and decoding; measures of information content; characteristics of visual and auditory information; spectral analysis; analog and digital signal processing; and information transmission with and without wires. Illustrative case studies include radio and television broadcasting; cellular telephony and wireless PCS; communication satellites; fiber optical communication; audio, video, and data recording; and telephone and data networks. Web resources and computer simulations are used extensively. Prerequisites: MATH E-15 or equivalent is essential; some minimal exposure to physics is highly recommended (for example, PHYS E-1b or equivalent). The course is structured to accommodate students with a wide range of scientific and mathematical backgrounds.

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ENSC E-150 Introduction to Electrical Engineering (22099)
(Syllabus or Website) (Print View)

4 units. Noncredit and graduate credit $1,925.
Three hours of recorded lectures each week. Required on-campus sections to be arranged. Spring term

*** ENSC E-150 has been CANCELLED.***

This course discusses topics of central importance to the fields of electronics, communications, and intelligent systems. The material concerns both qualitative and quantitative analysis, as well as laboratory experiments and computer simulations. Examples of topics to be discussed range from relatively simple modules, such as analog amplifiers and digital adders, to complex systems such as cell phones and their supporting infrastructure. The recorded lectures are from the Harvard Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences course Engineering Sciences 50. Prerequisites: MATH E-10 and PHYS E-1b or the equivalents. PHYS E-123a would be helpful. Students must view sample online lectures before they register.

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