Mazzaro, G. J. (2025, March), Mini-Laboratory Activities for Observing Electromagnetic Fields in a Required Undergraduate Course for Electrical Engineers  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi. 10.18260/1-2--54182

\bibitem{asee_peer_54182}
  Mazzaro, G. J. (2025, March), \emph{Mini-Laboratory Activities for Observing Electromagnetic Fields in a Required Undergraduate Course for Electrical Engineers}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi.
  10.18260/1-2--54182

Gregory J. Mazzaro.  "Mini-Laboratory Activities for Observing Electromagnetic Fields in a Required Undergraduate Course for Electrical Engineers".  2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/54182 Internet.  28 Apr, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_54182}
  Gregory J. Mazzaro.
  "Mini-Laboratory Activities for Observing Electromagnetic Fields in a Required Undergraduate Course for Electrical Engineers".
  \emph{2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/54182 Internet.  28 Apr, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_54182
author = "Gregory J. Mazzaro"
title = "Mini-Laboratory Activities for Observing Electromagnetic Fields in a Required Undergraduate Course for Electrical Engineers"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE Southeast Conference "
year = "2025"
month = "March"
address = "Mississippi State University, Mississippi"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/54182}
number = {10.18260/1-2--54182}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The science upon which all designs for electrical and electronic devices are based is electromagnetic theory.  For this reason, most electrical-engineering undergraduates are required to pass a one-semester course in Electromagnetic Fields.  A single-semester EM Fields course introduces Maxwell’s Equations and generally focuses on static electric and magnetic fields; it is usually taken during the junior year.  Aspiring engineers who intend to work with radio or optical frequencies will typically complete follow-on courses which focus on dynamic fields with applications to high-frequency circuits, free-space waves, antennas, waveguides, or electromagnetic interference/compatibility; these advanced courses are usually taken as senior-year electives.

Many concepts central to EM Fields are counter-intuitive:  wires carrying current in the same direction attract each other; magnets moved across a conductor induce a voltage difference from one end of that conductor to the other; field oscillations moving through each other can either cancel or reinforce each other.  To mitigate the confusion produced by EM physics, the author designed three “mini-lab” exercises and recently included them as part of his required undergraduate EM Fields course.  Each exercise can be performed using equipment that is part of a standard undergraduate electronics lab, and each exercise can be completed by an undergraduate student in under an hour.  This paper will present all three exercises (“Assemble an Electric Field Sensor”, “Build an Electro-magnet”, “Harvest Radio-Frequency Energy”) -- objectives, equipment required, procedures, sample data, grading rubrics, students’ scores and feedback -- and the paper will suggest additional activities which can be developed to further enhance an EM Fields course.
AU  - Gregory J. Mazzaro
CY  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi
DA  - 2025/03/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Mini-Laboratory Activities for Observing Electromagnetic Fields in a Required Undergraduate Course for Electrical Engineers
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/54182
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--54182
ER  -