Fundamentals of Electricity and Basic Materials

Course Description

EET 0052 is a combined introduction to electricity and to the basic materials used in building and installation work. In the statewide course record it covers Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws, DC series, parallel and series-parallel circuits, atomic theory, electromotive force, resistance and power. It then introduces AC theory: inductors, capacitors, transformers, and the principles of electronics and semiconductor components. The record adds that it "also emphasizes on structural materials. It includes steel, concrete materials, and selected manufactured components."

⚠⚠⚠ Only one institution in Florida teaches this number, and it is private

In the state's course file the only institution carrying EET 0052 is CBT Technology Institute, a private career school in the Miami area. It lists the course at 3 credits. No Florida public college, university or technical college teaches it.

• ⚠⚠ The leading 0 means a career (vocational) certificate course, not a college-credit course. The state record lists its intent as PSAV (postsecondary adult vocational). CBT nonetheless records it at 3 credits. Credits on a 0-level number are a career-certificate measure, and they do not count toward an associate or bachelor's degree the way college credit does.
• ⚠⚠ Transfer is not guaranteed. The state record says "guaranteed transfer to institution offering same course," but no other institution offers it. Credit from a private institution is evaluated case by case by the school receiving it. Expect to have to show a syllabus, and expect it may not transfer as college credit at all.
• ⚠ It is two subjects in one course. Most programs teach electrical fundamentals and building materials separately, so the course covers each one in less depth than a dedicated course would.

If you want this subject at a public college

The electrical half of EET 0052 is what Florida's public colleges teach in their first electronics courses. All of these have guides on this site:

• EET 1015C DC Circuits: ten public colleges, including Broward, Miami Dade, Palm Beach State and Valencia.
• EET 1025C AC Circuits: ten public colleges, usually taken after EET 1015C.
• EET 1084C Introduction to Electronics: sixteen public colleges. This is the one-course survey and the nearest single equivalent to EET 0052's electrical half.

⚠ The materials half (steel, concrete, manufactured components) belongs to building-construction and construction-technology courses. Look under the BCN prefix at your college.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Describe the atomic theory of electricity: charge, current as electron flow, conductors, insulators and semiconductors.
• Define voltage (electromotive force), current, resistance and power, with their units and symbols.
• Apply Ohm's law and the power equations to calculate unknown quantities in a circuit.
• Analyse series, parallel and series-parallel DC circuits using Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws.
• Explain alternating current, including frequency, period, peak and RMS values.
• Describe how inductors, capacitors and transformers behave in AC circuits.
• Identify common semiconductor components (diodes, transistors) and their applications.
• Select an appropriate device or component for a stated application.
• Identify the properties and common uses of structural steel, concrete and selected manufactured building components.

Optional Outcomes

• Use a digital multimeter to measure voltage, current and resistance safely.
• Read basic schematic symbols.
• Relate the materials content to the trade the program prepares for (electrical installation, low-voltage systems, building maintenance).

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Atomic theory, charge and current
• Voltage, resistance, power and energy
• Ohm's law and the power formulas
• Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws
• Series, parallel and series-parallel DC circuits
• Introduction to AC theory
• Inductors, capacitors and transformers
• Introduction to electronics and semiconductor components
• Device operation and selection
• Structural materials: steel, concrete, manufactured components

Optional Topics

• Electrical safety and lockout/tagout
• Test instruments
• Wire, cable and conductor materials

Resources & Tools

• An introductory DC/AC text, such as Floyd's Principles of Electric Circuits or Electronics Fundamentals.
• The National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), for anyone heading toward electrical installation work.
• A digital multimeter, breadboard and basic components for lab work.
• Free circuit simulators such as Falstad's circuit simulator or LTspice.

Career Pathways

• Electricians' helpers (SOC 47-3013) and apprentice electricians (SOC 47-2111). ⚠ Florida licenses electrical contractors through the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (DBPR), and most counties certify journeyworkers. A single course is a first step on that path, not a qualification.
• Security and fire alarm system installers (SOC 49-2098) and low-voltage technicians.
• Maintenance and repair workers, general (SOC 49-9071).
• Electrical and electronic engineering technicians (SOC 17-3023). This route usually runs through an A.S. degree that starts with EET 1015C and EET 1025C.

Special Information

Offering Notes

No Florida public institution carries EET 0052. The only carrier in the state course file is CBT Technology Institute (private), at 3 credits, with no published clock-hour figure. ⚠ This guide was written because a visitor asked for it. The repository normally lists public institutions only; it makes an exception for a requested course.

Hours

The guide records the course at 3 credits and 45 contact hours. The 45 is the Florida convention for a three-credit lecture course and is derived, not published. A course with a lab component may meet for longer. Ask the school for the actual hours.

Before you enrol

• ⚠⚠ Ask whether the credits count toward a degree or only toward a certificate or diploma, and whether any public college has accepted them in transfer.
• ⚠ Ask which program the course belongs to. The mix of electricity and building materials suggests a construction or installation trade program, and the rest of that program determines what the course leads to.