Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Electronics

Academic English

Academic English refers to the oral, written, auditory, and visual proficiency required to learn and communicate effectively in schools and academic programs, where English is used as a vehicular language.

Academic English is usually formal in tone, it has an advanced vocabulary and impersonal style. We avoid contractions or shortened forms of verbs. We avoid personal pronouns. We may use passive forms and academic vocabulary.

• EFL - English as a Foreign Language (in England)
• ESL - English as a Secondary Language (in Spain)
• ELF - English Lingua Franca
• EMI - English as a Medium of Instruction

Understanding Genres in Academic English

A genre is a class of communicative events, the members of which share a communicative purpose. John Swales... Continue reading "Academic English: Oral and Written Communication" »

Transportation Vocabulary

• At the wheel/Al Volante: Driving
• Cruising/Conducir tranquilamente: Driving peacefully
• To lean/Recolzar-se: To rest on
• To whisper/Xiuxiuejar: To speak softly
• To cuddle/Abraçar: To hug
• Take a stroll/Donar un tom: To go for a walk
• Unfasten/Descordar: To unbuckle
• Safety belt/Cinturó: Seatbelt
• Calaboose/Cotxe: Jail cell
• Hold a grudge/Sentir rabia, frustració: To feel resentment
• Wouldn't budge/No hi havia manera que sortís: Refused to move
• Commuter/People who travel every day from home to work: Someone who travels daily for work
• Challenge/Desafio, reto: A difficult task
• Pedestrian/Peató: A person walking
• Rush hour/Hora punta: Time of day with heavy traffic
• To be pleased/Satisfer: To be satisfied
• It is estimated that/Es considera que:

Defining Literacy

Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read and write at a level suitable for communication, which implies understanding and communicating ideas in a literate society. It is a concept claimed and defined by a range of different theoretical fields. Key components include:

• Phonemic awareness
• Decoding
• Fluency
• Comprehension
• Vocabulary

The Phonics Method for Reading Instruction

Phonics is a method of teaching reading. It involves teaching letter-sound correspondences, enabling learners to translate letters into sounds and then blend the sounds together to pronounce words.

This method is particularly appropriate at the very beginning of children's schooling.

The strategies used to teach reading with this method are:

• Identifying

Introduction to AM Radio Receivers

This document explains the RF tuning stage in an AM radio receiver, focusing on how it recognizes and processes incoming signals. The tuning stage selects the desired radio station. The resonant frequency of the tank circuit matches the carrier frequency of the station. This applies to commercial AM radio, which operates in the 530 kHz to 1600 kHz range.

We will also describe the characteristics of the antenna coil, including its resistance in the primary and secondary windings, and its design features. Additionally, we will identify the local oscillator (LO) and the mixer.

Recognizing and Identifying the Antenna Coil

An antenna is a device designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves in free space. A... Continue reading "Understanding AM Radio Receivers: Antenna Coils & Tuning" »

1. Introduction to Wireless

1. Which of the following accurately describes the goal of RF technology?
   R: To send as much data as far as possible and as fast as possible.
2. Which of the following is a significant problem experienced with wireless networks?
   R: Interference.
3. Which two of the following are unlicensed frequency bands used in the United States?
   R: 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz.
4. Each 2.4-GHz channel is how many megahertz wide?
   R: 22 MHz.
5. How many non-overlapping channels exist in the 2.4 GHz ISM range?
   R: 3.
6. The 5.0 GHz range is used by which two of the following 802.11 standards?
   R: 802.11n, 802.11a.
7. Which three of the following modulation techniques do WLANs today use?
   R: OFDM, DSSS, MIMO.
8. DSSS uses a chipping code to encode redundant data

Electrical Encoding Schemes

There are two main types of encoding schemes: single-core and multi-threaded functional circuit diagrams.

Electrical Magnitudes and Measurement

Here's a table summarizing common electrical magnitudes, their units, and the instruments used for their measurement:

Multimeter

A multimeter is a versatile instrument used to measure various electrical quantities.

Absolute Error

Absolute error refers to the difference between the value read on an instrument and the actual value.

Common Electrical Issues

Surge

A surge is an excess of voltage affecting the electrical grid. Surges... Continue reading "Electrical Circuits: Understanding Key Concepts and Safety Devices" »

Understanding Advertising Texts

The Commercial Purpose

The commercial nature of advertising focuses on dissemination to attract potential buyers, viewers, and users. Advertising messages are often spread widely.

The Advertising Communication Circuit

Advertising typically involves unilateral communication, where there is no direct exchange of views between the sender and receiver. While the user cannot reply directly, the message is presented appealingly, sometimes posing questions or giving commands to engage the audience.

Issuer (Sender)

The issuer of an advertisement is usually an advertising agency that creates the message on behalf of a client (often a commercial entity) to promote a product or service. The issuer's primary known intention is

Concept of Language

Language is a communication tool for a common civilization. For Saussure, language is "that men possess the ability to communicate with their peers" or "a system of signs, voluntarily used to express our most internal mental phenomena." According to Sapir, language is "a purely human, non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols." Language is not only human; animals also have language.

Characteristics of Human Language: Hockett

• Cultural Transmission: Language is learned, not innate.
• Vocal-Auditory Channel: Language is primarily transmitted via sound.
• Specialization: The sounds produced are specifically for communication.
• Discrete: Language is composed

There are two mechanisms of textual cohesion: reference mechanisms (which refer to elements of the text) and connectors (which express the semantic relationship between two or more elements).

Reference Mechanisms

Reference mechanisms are linguistic elements that refer to another element, avoiding repetition. There are two types of reference mechanisms: those outside the text (exophoric) and those within the text (endophoric).

Exophoric Reference (Deixis)

Deixis is the mechanism of referencing elements outside the text and the extralinguistic context, including deictic-personal space and time:

• Pronouns (I, me, you, he, she, it, etc.)
• Verbal morphemes (e.g., "I sing")
• Possessives
• Demonstrative adverbs of time (now, today, yesterday, later) or space (

Key Concepts in English Language Teaching

1. Language as Communication

Oral and written language. Factors that define a communicative situation: transmitter, receiver, function, and context.

2. Communication in the Foreign Language Classroom

Verbal and non-verbal communication. Extralinguistic strategies: non-verbal reactions to messages in different contexts.

3. Development of Linguistic Skills

Oral expression and comprehension, written expression and comprehension. Communicative competence in English.

4. Evaluating Foreign Language Knowledge

Evaluating foreign language knowledge as an instrument of communication between people. Interest in linguistic diversity through the knowledge of a new language and its culture.

5. The Cultural Framework of English