Minneapolis, MN
August 23, 2022
June 26, 2022
June 29, 2022
Curricular Developments in Electrical and Computer Engineering
21
10.18260/1-2--40835
https://peer.asee.org/40835
565
Dr. Hector Ochoa is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stephen F. Austin State University, where he develops curriculum and laboratories in engineering physics. Dr. Ochoa graduated with his doctorate and M.S. from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a Bachelor’s degree from The University of Guadalajara, Mexico. His current research interests include Radar Image Processing, Compressive Radar, and Engineering Education.
The study of chaos has long attracted the attention of engineering, mathematics, and science educators. Most, if not all, courses dedicated to chaos are graduate-level courses requiring a broad understanding of linear and nonlinear systems. The exception would be differential equations, where chaos may be discussed as an optional topic of discussion. We argue that chaos is an attractive field of study for undergraduates that can raise their interest in interdisciplinary topics if the material is adapted, building on previous knowledge of ordinary differential equations, linear algebra, and probability. We propose an approach that involves discussions of one-dimensional maps, the harmonic oscillator, the Van der Pol Oscillator, and the Lorenz oscillator as building blocks, with corresponding simulations and implementation using integrated circuits such as op-amps and analog multipliers. In addition to equilibrium points, limit cycles, eigenvalue analysis, and feedback control, we introduce concepts such as bifurcation, phase-plane analysis, anti-control, and Lyapunov functions and exponents as discussions evolve. The course ends with a discussion of the synchronization of chaotic oscillators in the context of communications and radar applications. As designed, the course can become a senior technical elective that builds on junior-level electronics and signals and systems courses. Higher-level learning outcomes are analysis in the cognitive domain, mechanism in the psychomotor domain, and value in the affective domain.
Flores, B., & Ochoa, H., & Pappu, C. (2022, August), Adapting Chaos Theory for Undergraduate Electrical Engineers Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40835
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2022 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015