Beginner DC Student Looking for Basic Sites

Since the end of August, I've been searching the web for sites that
offer basic tutorials in DC Electricity. My instructor isn't a gifted
teacher; everyone in my class admits they have to teach themselves.
The instructor's attitude is that if you have "it," you have it
(understanding the math, the concepts, etc.), and if you don't, you
don't. Most of us aren't the children of engineers, physicists,
and/or contractors for parents.

Right now, I'm having a b*!ch of a time understanding schematics for
parallel circuits. If anyone knows a site where basic DC electronics
are discussed without having to pay for a course online, I'd
appreciate hearing where I can find it. Thank you.

 

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/g.knott/index21.htm

 

My initial response to this is that you need to ask for your money back. If
you have paid for this course, then you aren't receiving value for money.

Have you and your class mates tried telling your "instructor" how
dis-satisfied you are with his methods? If he persists in his attitude, go
to his superior. Don't forget that students are customers, and they should
get what they are paying for, in this case, competent instruction in basic
electrical circuits. Speaking as someone who has taught this subject, I
have to say that it is probably the simplest part of any electrical course,
and any instructor who can't teach it needs to be looking for other
employment. If he can't teach this, then what kind of mangle he'll make of
AC theory is anyone's guess.

OK, the next question is "What text books are you using?". If the course
includes any kind of well regarded text book, then your first recourse
should be to them. If the course doesn't include any well known text books,
then you're better off just getting your money back and leaving. As it is
you are basically wasting the time you spend in class.

I guess this is a pet rant of mine, since I tried very hard to make sure
that my students actually understood the subject matter and didn't just
learn it by rote. Any "instructor" who can't be bothered to do that isn't
an instructor at all, just a windbag with pretensions.

As far as online courses are concerned, try
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/g_knott/. from Cambridge Regional
College, Cambridge, England seems pretty good. (And if anyone asks where
you went to college, tell them Cambridge!)

Hope this helps

John

 

---
You could do worse than hang out here and ask questions, and since this
is sci.electronics.basics, there is no such thing as a stupid question.


What kind of problems are you having with parallel circuits?

 

This book isn't too bad in explaining some concepts:
http://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/

 

John -

I think to a large extent, tenure has taken the free market out of free
market and so it's difficult to use a normal business model as to the way
things are done (or at least should be done) in this particular example.

It really does make one wonder, doesn't it?

 

Seconded.

Not sure exactly what you mean by parallel 'circuits'. Did you mean
simply parallel resistors? If so then Graham Knott's page
http://ourworld.cs.com/gknott5413/elect61.htm
has an explanation of how to calculate them.