Introduction to Python and Spice for Electrical and Computer Engineers - Softcover

Squire Ph.D., James C.; English Ph.D., Anthony E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0443190070 ISBN 13: 9780443190070

Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2024

Synopsis

Python is now the default language of engineering — but most Python textbooks are written for computer scientists, not the students sitting in an ECE lab.
 
Introduction to Python and Spice for Electrical and Computer Engineers teaches freshmen and sophomores to program using the problems they'll actually meet in circuits and signal processing: matrix algebra, complex exponentials, phasor analysis, filter design. Graphics come before abstract syntax, so students build confidence early instead of stalling out on loops before they've plotted a single result.
 
The book emphasizes functions over standalone scripts — the habit that matters once a student leaves the intro course — and includes over 100 embedded comprehension checks so no concept has to be taken on faith before the next one builds on it. A dedicated Spice simulation chapter and ABET-relevant material on professional development and ethics round out the course.
 
Written by James C. Squire, P.E., Ph.D. (Virginia Military Institute) and Anthony E. English, Ph.D.
 
If your program is moving from MATLAB to Python, or building a new intro-to-programming course for ECE majors, this is the book written for that transition.

About this title

About the Author

James C. Squire, P.E., Ph.D., is the Jamison-Payne Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Virginia Military Institute, where he has taught circuits, programming, and signal processing since 2000. He is the first professor in Virginia's history selected twice for the State Council of Higher Education's Outstanding Faculty Award — Rising Star in 2004, and again in 2025 — and holds VMI's Distinguished Teaching Award.
 
Before academia, Squire graduated from West Point in 1989 and served as a military intelligence officer in the Persian Gulf War, earning a Bronze Star. He completed his doctorate at MIT, where he taught, consulted in patent litigation, and conducted biomedical engineering research. He holds 8 patents, with one pending, and has co-founded three technology startups: MATTS LLC, Tick Rover LLC, and VMIne LLC.
 
Co-author Anthony E. English, Ph.D., co-developed the book's Python-specific content and problem sets, building on the discipline-specific approach established in Squire's earlier MATLAB textbook.

From the Back Cover

Python, taught the way an electrical engineer actually uses it.

Introduction to Python and Spice for Electrical and Computer Engineers teaches beginning students to program using the problems they'll meet in circuits and signal processing — not exercises borrowed from a computer science course.

Inside:

-Graphics and plotting introduced before abstract syntax, for early wins
-Matrix algebra, complex exponentials, and phasor analysis, solved in code
-Functions taught as the default, not scripts with unscoped variables
-Over 100 embedded questions to check understanding as you go
-A chapter on circuit simulation in Spice
-ABET-required content on professional development and ethics

Written by James C. Squire, P.E., Ph.D., and Anthony E. English, Ph.D.

If your program is moving from MATLAB to Python, or building a new intro-to-programming course for ECE majors, this is the book written for that transition.

From the Inside Flap

This book teaches Python the way an electrical engineering student needs to learn it — through circuits and signals, not sorting algorithms.

Graphics come first. Students plot a signal before they write a loop, so there's a visible payoff before the syntax gets abstract. From there, chapters build through matrix algebra, complex exponentials, phasor analysis, and filter design, with functions emphasized over standalone scripts from the start — the habit that matters once a student leaves the intro course.

Over 100 embedded questions check understanding in stages, so no concept is assumed before the next one depends on it. A chapter on Spice circuit simulation and ABET-relevant material on professional development and ethics complete the course.

No prior programming experience required. Built for freshman and sophomore electrical and computer engineering students.

Edition details

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0443190070
• ISBN 13: 9780443190070
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 350