Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics - ISBN-13: 978-0071459334 / ISBN 0071459332
LAST MODIFIED:
My review copy of "Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics" © 2002, is the third edition and was written by the gifted teacher Stan Gibilisco. It is published by Mc Graw-Hill who kindly provided me with my review paper back copy which has a somewhat different cover to the one depicted here. This book has now been updated to the fourth edition which I not yet seen.
Stan Gibilisco has also just published another new book "Advanced Physics Demystified"
New to the recent edition:
Updated to reflect the latest technological advances in: * Computers * Robotics * Artificial Intelligence * Amplifiers * Transmitters * The Internet * High-fidelity
I think this is a particularly exciting text for professionals, hobbyists and technicians anxious to get a good grasp on the basis of electricity and electronics. "Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics" comprises 698 pages of well thought out tutorials. I would imagine it would be in great demand throughout schools, colleges and even universities.
Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics - ISBN-13: 978-0071459334 / ISBN 0071459332
It is immediately obvious from the preface that this title is intended for students undertaking a course in electronics. Stan says in his preface to "Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics":
"I recommend you start at the beginning of this book and go straight through. There are hundreds of quiz and test questions to fortify your knowledge and help you check your progress as you work your way along"
Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics is divided into four major sections: Direct Current, Alternating Current, Basic Electronics, and Advanced Electronics and Related Technology. Each chapter has comprehensive qizzes and each section finishes with a multiple-choice test. It is notable that you need nothing more than junior high school level geometry, algebra and physics to cope. There is also a "final" examination!
I will now proceed to review each of the four major sections.
The Direct Current section begins with a chapter on the essentials of general physics principles including Atoms, Protons, Neutrons and Atomic Numbers and Weights. This includes the other essentials to understand including Electrons, Ions, Compounds, Molecules, Conductors, Insulators, Resistors, Semiconductors and others. These topics are all well covered in an easy to grasp fashion without just being "glossed" over. This chapter, as with all of the others, concludes with a twenty question multiple-choice quiz to measure your progress.
Other chapters go on to discuss Electrical Units, Measuring Devices, Basic DC Circuits, the all important Direct-Current circuit analysis, Resistors, Cells and Batteries and, Magnetism. This section concludes with a fifty question test which might be similar to an end of term examination. Within the various chapters there are also quite a number of practical problems to solve particularly in Direct-Current circuit analysis. Excellent!
The Alternating Current section covers alternating current basics, Inductance, Capacitance, Phase, Reactances, Impedance and Admittance, RLC circuit analysis, Power and Resonance and ends with Transformers and Impedance matching.
Again each chapter has its own quiz and the whole section concludes with the equivalent end-of-term type examination.
Typically throughout chapters we again have problem solving. One typical example:
"A transformer has a primary-to-secondary turns ratio of exactly 9:1. The voltage at the primary is 117V. What is the voltage at the secondary?"
Simply looking through the chapter on "Transformers and Impedance Matching" we find a wealth of material written in Stan's easy-to-read and understand fashion. A few examples include sections on Audio frequenct transformers, Isolation Transformers, Balanced and Unbalanced loads, Impedance-Transfer Ratio, Radio-Frequency Transformers and Transmission Line types. Whew!
The section on basic electronics goes into semiconductors, diodes power supplies, transistors, amplifiers, oscillators and so on. Two topics I really didn't expect to find here were data transmission and data reception, both these topics occupy over forty pages.
One point I should perhaps clear up is that you will not get "let's build it circuits" from this book, that was never its intended purpose. In fact no schematic carries values for components.
If I had one quibble with Stan it would be my disappointment at the lack of discussion on such things as to how certain circuit values are arrived at. The section on oscillators presents a number of well known circuits but nothing about establishing particular values nor any discussion on the function of certain components within the schematic. Hmmm... I should talk, better review some of my lectures!
To be scrupulously fair to Stan though, you need to draw the line somewhere. I expect if you included those aspects I mentioned then we would have a book well exceeding the existing formidable number of pages and probably going beyond the intended scope of Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics!
This section is where Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics becomes especially interesting.
We are presented with chapters covering Acoustics, Audio and High Fidelity followed by Wireless and Personal Communication Systems then Computers and the Internet. Real good stuff to give you a good grasp of the basics!
Finally we are treated to a heap of pages dealing with Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
My Rating?: 
If I were running college classes in Electricity and Electronics I expect this title would certainly be among the first I would recommend.
It is professionally written in an easy to read and follow style, has numerous problems to solve, excellent quizzes at the end of each chapter and college level examinations at the conclusion of each section.
I can only tell you what I think of this book in a hopefully unbiased fashion. To buy or not to buy is of course your personal decision.
I think it represents excellent value for money to hobbyists, professionals and technicians. Comes very highly recommended from me, and with very good reason.
In the book stores look for Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics by Stan Gibilisco - mine was the third edition paperback. But the latest version isISBN 0071459332 the earlier edition carried ISBN 0071459332
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Created 7th January, 2002
Updated 22nd August, 2002
