The field of electronics or microelectronics today encompasses a vast quantity of knowledge and practice. The topics that can be covered in a basic course must, by necessity, be limited to avoid a mere encyclopedic cataloging of various electronic circuits and systems. There are, however, a set of underlying concepts that one needs to grasp to understand electronics. It is the goal of the author to provide students and instructors with an accessible treatment of those modern electronic concepts along with appropriate applications. Applications are considered essential to grasp the utility of general concepts as well as to appreciate their limitations. The approach used in the text is to cover a limited number of topics well, as opposed to a cursory coverage of a very wide range of topics that may do little more than leave one with an extensive vocabulary.

The text provides more than adequate material for a one-semester, junior-level electronics course. A good working knowledge of linear circuits along with a reasonable understanding of calculus and physics is required. Although there is a progression in the complexity of the material covered, the text provides a flexibility in selecting the material to cover. The author has attempted to provide sufficient descriptive material to indicate not only what is being done but also to show how a particular circuit is used. Examples with detailed solutions utilizing analytic solutions and computer simulations conclude most sections. In addition, numerous references are cited to allow the interested student to learn more about a particular topic.