SAMPLE EEE FINAL TEST

Part I: Read the following passage.

The discovery of the electron in 1897 emerged from Edison’s work on the electric light bulb and
marked the beginning of electronics. In his experiments, Faraday noticed that a small metal plate
placed in front of one of his experimental bulbs picked up an electric current that had crossed the
bulb’s vacuum from the hot filament. The current passing through the vacuum always travelled
in the same direction, from the filament to the plate, even when the filament carried an
alternating current. The existence of microscopic particles – electrons – was proposed. The
theory was that these particles were moving through the vacuum at high speed.
A series of experiments led to the invention of triode. Within the vacuum tube, a grid-like wire
was inserted between the filament and the plate. This functions as an amplifier, meaning that
changes in a very small voltage applied to the grid produced corresponding changes in the flow
of much larger current between the other two elements. This three-element tube – or triode – had
many applications, including long-distance telephony, record players, radio and televisions.
Triodes can also work as a switch by using the grid voltage to turn a current on or off. Rapid
switching between on and off positions was identified as a way of carrying out complex
calculations using the binary numbering system, with different arrangements of switches,
sufficient to perform any mathematical or logical operation. Vacuum tubes were therefore
quickly enlisted for the new computing machines. But, because a very large number of switches
are required, the first models of computers were extremely large and expensive to run.
By the middle of the twentieth century, scientists were searching for an alternative to vacuum
tubes. Crystalline materials, known as semiconductors, in which current flows in only one
direction, were investigated. It was known that the presence of certain impurities, such as
phosphorous, strongly affected the electrical behavior of semiconductors. The impurities
provided a surplus of electrons that were free to contribute to a current. Some researchers were
convinced that semiconductors could have the properties of a triodes. In 1947, that goal was met
in the form of three-layer semiconductor sandwich, known as transistor. An impurity was added
to the outer layers to supply extra electrons, and the middle position of the sandwich functioned
like the grid in a triode, controlling a sizable current flow between the outer layers. This was the
beginning of solid-state electronics.
There were pros and cons to the first transistors. They used much less power than vacuum tubes,
did not need to warm up, and were compact. However, their main ingredient was germanium, an
expensive, hard-to-handle element, with performance limitations. A turning point came in early
1954, when a transistor was made from silicon, an element of sand. The Silicon Age had arrived.
Silicon transistors led to the creation of integrated circuits. An integrated circuit is an assemblage
of different components that are wired together and work as a unit. In 1958, it was discovered
that a wafer of silicon could be given all the elements necessary to function as a circuit. The
design of the wafer was developed and it became better protected and insulated. It also became
much easier to connect the circuit elements together. By the mid-1990s, some chips the size of a
fingernail contained 20 million components.
Today, transistors are much cheaper and are often organized into circuits that can perform
complex functions or tasks. They can provide electronic memory and carry out particular tasks,
such as manipulating audio signals or graphic images. Other uses are in general-purpose
computing devices called microprocessors, which are not designed to do one specific task.
Instead, they can follow software instructions to perform a range of tasks.
The first microprocessor was produced in 1971. Faster versions soon followed, and prices
dropped. Microprocessors are now everywhere, operating in every household appliance and in
every mode of communication and transportation. This race of development shows no sign of
slowing. Computing power will continue its incredible expansion and change our future in ways
which we cannot imagine at present.
A. Match the properties in A with the components in B. Some components can have more
than one property. Write the answers in the spaces provided.
A B
1. Give birth to integrated circuits. A. Triode
2. Have been developing very fast and has become cheaper. B. Impurity
3. Better than vacuum tubes, but still costly and does not C. Germanium
perform well. Transistor
4. Can performs many tasks at the same time. D. Silicon
5. Have a wire placed between two other components that Transistor.
helps to enlarge the change in current. E. Microprocessor
6. Give birth to new computing system in the early of the 20 th

century.
7. Changes the electrical properties of semiconductors.

1.D 2.E 3.C 4.E 5.A 6.A 7.B

B. Decide whether the following statement is True, False or Not Given according to the
passage.
8. From an accidental observation while doing experiments, scientists proposed the
existence of electrons. T
9. By carrying out a series of experiments, Faraday invented the first triode. NG
10. A triode has a middle layer of a sandwich, that helps to control the flow between
the outer layers. F
11. One of the impurities used in producing semiconductors is phosphorous. NG
12. A silicon transistor is less expensive than a germanium one. T
13. The development of microprocessor has been slowed down recently. F
C. Choose the best answer:
14. A germanium transistor …..
A. was replaced by a vacuum tube in the middle of the 20th century.
B. is made of element of sand.
C. works better than a silicon counterpart.
D. has the same functions as a triode
15. Microprocessors were invented in ……
A. 1954 B. 1958 C. 1971 D. mid-1990s

Part II. Supply a suitable term for the following definitions. Write your answers in boxes 1-10
for Part II on your answer sheet.
TERM DEFINITIONS
The conduction of electricity through something melted or
1. Elctrolytic conduction(Ionic) dissolved in order to induce decomposition of the melted or
dissolved chemical into its components
2. Insulator Material or device that prevents or reduces the passage of
 heat, electricity, or sound
3…Ionization energy Energy which is necessary to remove an electron from an
atom, according to the orbital arrangement of the electrons
in the atom
A device that uses the chemical energy of hydrogen or
4…Fuel cell
another fuel to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity.

An electrical switch that periodically reverses the current in

5 …Commutator
a DC electric motor or electrical generator
The loss in a transformer due to a variety of mechanisms
6…Iron loss related to the fluctuating magnetic field, such as eddy
currents and hysteresis.
A device that can automatically stop the flow of electricity
7…Circuit breaker
in a circuit if there is too much current to operate safely.
Positively charged subatomic particle, a fundamental
8…Proton constituent of any atomic nucleus

9…Forward bias An arrangement of diode in which current is allowed to

flow through the device.
Ability of a capacitor to store electric charges; measured in
10…Capacitance Farad.

PART III: CMAP completion and writing

A. Complete the following CMAP about A STEP-DOWN TRANSFORMER.
 Reduce/ decrease/ step down

more

Changing magnetic field

The number of

Current/
EMF/
voltage

B. Based on the CMAP, write a short paragraph (about 150 words) about A STEP-DOWN
TRANSFORMER.

Part IV
Listen to the lecture and complete the Notes section below.
CAR’S ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
• Car Ignition system:
Older car
- used (1)…electric circuit to start the engine.
- Inductor coil generates (2)…high voltage. & sends spark.
- A battery supplies (3)…dc voltage…. for the coil.
Modern cars
- electronic ignition with (4) transistor……
- last longer & (5)…more reliable...
• Car battery
- self-contained electric power system.
- gradually loses power à needs (6)…charging system. + alternator.
- Supplies power to other systems such as (7)…light….. and radio.
• Radio system
- Uses antenna to receive (8)…electromagnetic wave.
- Decodes signals & reproduce the original sounds.
• Computer system
- Controls other systems: exhaust emissions, cruise control, suspension etc.
- Receives signals from (9)…senses… and make decisions.
- (10)…fiber optic….. network may replace traditional wire system.