Written by a leading expert, Practical Electronics gives you all the knowledge and information you need to succeed quickly and easily.

Are you ready to take your first steps into electronics?

Practical Electronics: A Complete Introduction is a comprehensive yet easy-to-use introduction to understanding electronics. Written by a leading expert, it gives you everything you need to know about electronics in one place.

The book is divided into five parts:

- Electronics impact: social importance
- Electronics evolution: historical development of key concepts
- Working with circuits: practical approaches
- Electronics design: introduction to creative design
- Action ideas: project ideas to try

From the evolution of electronics starting with the discovery of the electric cell and leading to the development of the digital computer and microcontrollers, through to the application of knowledge to practical situations, including working with circuits, electronics design and action ideas for electronics projects, each chapter covers a key introductory area. By the end you'll have a clear understanding of conventional and microcontroller electronics through hands-on experience, with a particular emphasis on creative electronic design.

Whether you are a student, teacher or an electronics enthusiast taking your first steps into electronics, Practical Electronics: A Complete Introduction is your go-to guide.

Andy Cooper worked with the BBC and Lego on some of the first computer control projects. He later coordinated the ICON team at Nottingham Trent University, which developed one of the first microcontroller systems for education. He has spent time working with British School Technology on national teacher training programmes and with Design and Technology primary and secondary teacher training at Nottingham Trent University.

More recently, Andy has developed electronics courses working with the Design and Technology Association, the Institute of Engineering and Technology and the National STEM Centre.

Now completely revised, Practical Electronics: A Complete Introduction covers the key areas of electronics you need to be confident in, whether you are a keen amateur hobbyist, an engineering student or a professional who wants to keep up to date. It outlines the basics in clear jargon-free English and provides added-value features like key ideas, memorable quotations and even lists of questions you might be asked in a seminar or exam.

The book has been updated to remove complex and abstract technical thought and replace it with practical information that will be essential for students and general readers alike. It builds on basic principles such as simple circuits and switches, going on to explain how basic components can be used to form versatile digital systems, which can be combined and programmed to create new functional systems. It also covers microprocessor technology and microcontroller chips, showing how to program microcontrollers for learners wishing to explore this new technology.

Practical Electronics employs the 'Breakthrough Method' to help you advance quickly at any subject, whether you're studing for an exam or just for your own interst. The Breakthrough Method is designed to overcome typical problems you'll face as learn new concepts and skills.

- Problem: "I find it difficult to remember what I've read."; Solution: this book includes end-of-chapter summaries and questions to test your understanding.
- Problem: "Lots of introductory books turn out to cover totally different topics than my course."; Solution: this book is written by a university lecturer who understands what students are expected to know.