do i realy need to get into Chemistry ?

[sidharth]

Hi,
Do i realy need to get into Chemistry, if i want to get deep into electronics ?


tks
sid

 

[DerStrom8]

A basic knowledge of chemistry is very useful if you want to learn electronics. It helps you to understand how certain components work, how they would work together, and various other aspects of electricity. I would highly recommend getting a basic understanding of chemistry, as it would really help you in the future.
Der Strom

 

[dougy83]

"deep into electronics"? How deep? If you mean designing new semiconductor technologies, IC design/manufacture - then yes it's required.

Otherwise, no, it's quite useless as far as electronics design (e.g. putting bits together to do something) is concerned. Physics and maths is essential & so is being able to apply it to the models created for electronic parts & circuits. You really don't need to know if there's arsenic, boron in the silicon, but you may care that there's P-type or N-type doping, etc.

 

[sidharth]

any book recommendation for understanding that basic of chemistry?
or just general basic is inoughf?


thanks
sidharth

 

[dougy83]

Most likely you won't need it. Chemistry was once part of my degree, but they scrapped it as it wasn't relevant.

 

[DerStrom8]

Otherwise, no, it's quite useless as far as electronics design (e.g. putting bits together to do something) is concerned. Physics and maths is essential & so is being able to apply it to the models created for electronic parts & circuits. You really don't need to know if there's arsenic, boron in the silicon, but you may care that there's P-type or N-type doping, etc.

I would have to disagree with that. You don't only learn about chemicals in chemistry--you also learn about electrons and how they behave, properties of semiconductors, conductors, and superconductors, etc. Unless you are just going to light up a light bulb with a battery (which I don't think is what you meant when you said "deep into electronics"), chemistry is definitely worth learning. It is most certainly not useless as far as electronics design.
Der Strom

 

[3v0]

Part of learning is to expand the mind in general. In theory a university educated person has a good understanding of the other basic disciplines in addition to their major field of study.

Some part of resent scientific advancement has come from interaction of various disciplines via the internet. To make this happen you need enough knowledge to understand that the guy can help, and enough about what he does to talk or work with him.

 

[dougy83]

The useful stuff is covered by physics anyway. This guy is just starting out & hasn't stated what 'deep into electronics' is to him.

 

[DerStrom8]

This guy is just starting out & hasn't stated what 'deep into electronics' is to him.

I don't think he needs to. Even if he's just designing simple circuits, a basic knowledge of chemistry could be very useful. The key word is DESIGN. If he's just thinking of building circuits, only following schematics, etc., then he may be able to scrape by without chemistry knowledge (though it could still be difficult). However, no matter what, it can still be very helpful.
I would still highly recommend taking a chemistry class, just to learn the basics.

 

[crutschow]

I agree that a basic understanding in Chemistry is needed for any well-rounded engineer, in electronics or any other discipline.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I agree that a basic understanding in Chemistry is needed for any well-rounded engineer, in electronics or any other discipline.

But it's completely pointless for electronics - perhaps someone would care to give an example where it might be useful in practical electronics?. I did Chemistry at school anyway, so have a reasonable knowledge - and my daughter is currently doing a Masters Chemistry Degree at University - but I've never found any occasion in electronics where my Chemistry knowledge came in useful.

 

[sidharth kapoor]

hi augy83,

when i say deep then , i mean, full time completely deep, like in and out tracsparent, full crazy.
se i am not any engineering, but from last 8yrs working on java ,& now got new craze/ to know all about electronics atleast every thing about it, whatever will come in my way i will learn.

thanks
sid

 

[crutschow]

But it's completely pointless for electronics - perhaps someone would care to give an example where it might be useful in practical electronics?. I did Chemistry at school anyway, so have a reasonable knowledge - and my daughter is currently doing a Masters Chemistry Degree at University - but I've never found any occasion in electronics where my Chemistry knowledge came in useful.

If you want to learn only those things that are absolutely essential to your craft then you can become a good technician, but not a good engineer. In my opinion, a good engineer needs a well rounded education. There are many things I learned in school that I've never applied in my engineering job, but that doesn't mean I think it was worthless or unnecessary to have studied them. I think a basic knowledge of physics and chemistry, among other disciplines, is needed for a good engineering education. But that's just my two cents.

--Poor Pat and Mike are no more.
What they thought was H20 was H2S04.

 

[BrownOut]

hi augy83,

when i say deep then , i mean, full time completely deep, like in and out tracsparent, full crazy.
se i am not any engineering, but from last 8yrs working on java ,& now got new craze/ to know all about electronics atleast every thing about it, whatever will come in my way i will learn.

thanks
sid

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but the first thing you should do is define your goals. You might want to become an electrical engineer or a technician, or simply learn just to know. Right now, your goals seem vague. If you can communicate your specific goals clearly, we can be of greater assistance. The more specific the better.


BTW,

If you want to learn only those things that are absolutely essential to your craft then you can become a good technician, but not a good engineer. In my opinion, a good engineer needs a well rounded education.

I agree completely. Knowledge is never pointless.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

If you want to learn only those things that are absolutely essential to your craft then you can become a good technician, but not a good engineer. In my opinion, a good engineer needs a well rounded education. There are many things I learned in school that I've never applied in my engineering job, but that doesn't mean I think it was worthless or unnecessary to have studied them. I think a basic knowledge of physics and chemistry, among other disciplines, is needed for a good engineering education. But that's just my two cents.

But still no advantage in Electronics, which ius what the thread is about, I too have Physics (and Biology for that matter) - and certainly for Electronics, Physics is by far the most important science.

 

[sidharth]

i got it,

tks
sid

 

[Mr RB]

I think if you had "spare study time" after your electronics study then consider putting that into microcontrollers.

These days instead of using a few chips and lots of transistors etc you can often just reach for one microcontroller and write some software for it. And that is going to continue as the micros get faster and cheaper and have so many more special features inside.

I don't want to insult any electronics old timers, but these days if you have good elec and micro skills you are much more powerful and capable than just being good at the electronic side.

 

[sidharth]

my goals is to get completely into embedded for now & i have start working on it, later i want to become nutty professor of electronics & computers, i have deg.. M.sc in computer.
and always wanted to connect software with hardware, but but always aware of the face that i have to start from scratch on electronics in fact analog,so, now, i have started at moderate pitch.

tks
sid

 

[crutschow]

I think if you had "spare study time" after your electronics study then consider putting that into microcontrollers.

These days instead of using a few chips and lots of transistors etc you can often just reach for one microcontroller and write some software for it. And that is going to continue as the micros get faster and cheaper and have so many more special features inside.

I don't want to insult any electronics old timers, but these days if you have good elec and micro skills you are much more powerful and capable than just being good at the electronic side.

I'm an old analogicer but I completely agree with you. You want to do as much as possible in the digital domain, and the more powerful the µCs gets the more you can easily do digital. You still may need some analog to get the signal into the digital domain but that should be as minimum as reasonable. The ideal is you hook the antenna/sensor up to an A/D converter and go digital from there.

 

[jpanhalt]

Well, I am a chemist (organic phototchemistry, 1970). So, let me comment. What are your goals? Do you want to be a discoverer or an implementer? LCD's required a knowledge of photochemistry and electronics to put it together. All semiconductors require knowledge of inorganic chemistry to design/invent. In the future, invention of new organic photovoltaic cells and organic printed circuits will require chemistry. All new medical diagnostic devices require knowledge of chemistry. Chemistry is the science of how materials/molecules interact. So, if you think you may want to be an inventor, get the chemistry.

I was in a similar situation in college, and one of the biggest mistakes I made was not getting enough math. My curriculum for graduation didn't require it, so I "tested out." When I went back into chemistry after graduation, I can assure you it was tough sledding in thermodynamics without having had any differential calculus -- those funny looking fractions still confuse me. The basic sciences are chemistry, biology, and physics. Math, according to some, is the mother science. Don't skimp on any of them, if you have the opportunity.

John