Course Title: Mathematics for Communication Engineers

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Mathematics for Communication Engineers

Credit Points: 12.00


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

MATH2162

City Campus

Undergraduate

145H Mathematical & Geospatial Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009

Course Coordinator: Dr Claude Zorzan

Course Coordinator Phone: +(61 3) 9925 3270

Course Coordinator Email: claude.zorzan@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 8.9.76


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

A passing grade in the course MATH2161 Mathematics for ECE (or its equivalent) is required to adequately engage with the material presented in this course.


Course Description

MATH2162 Mathematics for Communication Engineers is a core component of the third year of the Communication Engineering stream of BP200. It provides an opportunity to develop the range of skills relevant to (and for which you are expected to be conversant with) in the Communication Engineering discipline.

This course provides the technical mathematical competencies required to support your other studies in the specialist Communication Engineering stream offered in BP200.
In this course you will be introduced to a range of mathematical concepts that have been identified by the program team for Communication Engineering as fundamental requirements to enhance your progress in studying the related Engineering courses. These mathematical topics build upon the material covered in the prerequisite course MATH2161 Mathematics for ECE and aims to provide you with the mathematical maturity needed for you to become a well-grounded engineer.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

In this course you will develop capabilities in

  • Transmission line analysis;
  • Application of  Vector calculus methods ;
  • Electromagnetic wave behaviour ;
  • Waveguide structures .



Upon successful completion of the activities in this course you will be able to:

  • Determine the wave behaviour of a transmission line under different load terminations;
  • Understand the significance of certain parameters of a transmission line and the role they play in the propagation characteristics of waves;
  • Apply vector calculus methods to Maxwell’s equations for the propagation of electromagnetic waves;
  • Calculate the fields and modes of propagation of electromagnetic waves along a waveguide;
  • Gain an appreciation of the structure of electromagnetic fields within waveguides;

.


Overview of Learning Activities

The underlying theory and its applications will be presented and explained in lectures. A combination of tutorials and practice classes will reinforce the material introduced in lectures and will provide an indication of your understanding of the material. Class tests or assignments will be used to give feedback as well as gauge your comprehension of the concepts and methods presented in lectures.  


Overview of Learning Resources

Supporting material will be made available on RMITs learning hub. Included will be links to online notes, relevant textbooks and library reference material.
Upon completion of summative assessment tasks such as assignments and practice sheets, model solutions will be provided. Links to previous examination papers (when available), as well as to model solutions, will also be made available.


Overview of Assessment

All tests/assignments and practice class sheets that form part of the summative assessment in this course will have questions that assess the lower cognitive levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. To assess the higher cognitive levels (which requires a deeper comprehension of the topics covered), a combination of more penetrating tests/assignment and practice class questions will be used.

The final examination will consist of two parts. The first part will mostly address the lower cognitive levels and cover the entire syllabus. The second part will address the higher cognitive levels using questions that are more problem-oriented, and, as such, may need incorporating several disparate components of the syllabus to obtain a solution.