04 Sep 2021
How To Prepare For Network Theory For GATE Exam?
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Network theory is the study of solving the problems of electric circuits or electric networks. It is the most important subject for any Electrical Engineering or Electronics & Communication Aspirants. At the same time, it’s a prerequisite for other important subjects such as Analog Electronics, Electrical Machines, Power Systems, etc.
The problems are not so tricky in this subject and it becomes one of the better scoring topics in the GATE examination. It’s advisable you should avoid mistakes, learn every topic carefully as it will majorly impact your GATE score. The weightage of Network Analysis will mostly be anywhere between 8 to 12 marks in the GATE 2022 for both the streams i.e EE and ECE
Most coaching centers modules just bombard with irrelevant information on the topic which is quite taxing for studies. Most of the topics in the EC and EE curriculum for the Network Theory is the same except for three topics - the Three Phase Circuits, Graph Theory, and Magnetic Circuits. These are additional topics in the EE curriculum. Thus we bring a very detailed blog and help you prepare for Network Analysis in the upcoming GATE 2022 Exam Network Analysis is a 'problem-based subject where you should practice problems as much as possible rather than reading the theory and keep learning concepts. You need to get into the water rather than sitting at the beach and learning the concepts of depth, tides, etc. if you wish to score excellent marks in GATE 2022.
Before you visit the bookstall or sign up with any GATE online coaching center it's important you go through the complete GATE syllabus and GATE exam pattern for EE or ECE the branch of your choice. It will help you decide the network theory GATE lectures or books you need to choose and also give a complete idea of the exam duration, a number of questions, marking scheme, etc.
Best Book For Network Theory GATE Preparation
As per our expert faculty, these are few recommended Network Theory Books For GATE EE & ECE branches:
Fundamentals of Electric Circuits by Alexander Sadiku or else you can download pdf notes from Ekeeda.com
Engineering Circuit Analysis by William H. Hayt, Jack Kemmerly, and Steven M. Durbin
For solving problems, you can refer to Circuit Theory by A Chakraborathy and solve as many previous year gate questions on Network Theory in both EE and ECE subjects.
GATE Network Theory Syllabus
Network solution methods: nodal and mesh analysis
Network theorems: superposition, Thevenin and Norton’s, maximum power transfer
Wye‐Delta transformation
Steady-state sinusoidal analysis using phasors
Time-domain analysis of simple linear circuits
The solution of network equations using Laplace transform
Frequency domain analysis of RLC circuits
Linear 2‐port network parameters: driving point and transfer functions
State equations for networks. Continuous-time signals: Fourier series and Fourier transform representations, sampling theorem, and applications
Discrete-time signals: discrete-time Fourier transform (DTFT), DFT, FFT, Z-transform, interpolation of discrete-time signals
LTI systems: definition and properties, causality, stability, impulse response, convolution, poles and zeros, parallel and cascade structure, frequency response, group delay, phase delay, digital filter design techniques.
Important Topics For Network Theory in GATE EE and ECE:
Network analysis using KCL and KVL
Network Theorems
Transient Analysis of First-order circuits
Resonance
Two-port Networks
Transient and Steady-State analysis of Second-order RLC circuits
Phasor diagrams
Magnetic Coupled circuits
Laplace transform
The following chapters are part of Network Theory:
Network Theory Basics For GATE
It’s the fundamental concept for Network Analysis and its roots can be seen right in Electromagnetic Theory that candidates study in H.SC. The topics that need to be studied in this chapter are would be as follows: First, you have to study the nature of circuit elements such as Linear and Non-linear elements, Active and Passive Elements, etc. and the basics of Resistance, Inductance, and Capacitance such as Power, Energy, Current-Voltage relationships, etc.
Then you learn equivalent impedance and techniques such as Source Transformation etc.
Attempt basic circuit solving using the techniques such as Nodal and Mesh Analysis as these methods are very powerful and will even help you in other subjects.
In the end, study the basics of energy and power which is very helpful in other EE core subjects so you need to understand how you can determine the direction of power flow i.e. power being absorbed or delivered.
Graph Theory
The questions from this topic in GATE 2022 might be rare but still, this topic should be prepared for the sake of completeness. In this section, small topics are very much important like the number of trees possible for a given network but concepts like Incidence, Cut-Set, and Tie-Set Matrix are not very much important. Still, it's advisable you should once go through them before the BIG exam day. Also, you should remember various terminology such as twigs, links, etc. This topic is not present in ECE GATE Curriculum.
Network Theorems
For GATE preparation, the names of theorems are not very much important; however, for competitive like ESE they can come in handy for Objective Paper. So, it is better to remember the name and usage of theorems and the most important theorems are Thevenin and Norton Theorem as sometimes the equivalent circuit can be directly asked, other than that theorems like Superposition, Tellegen’s theorem is not very important.
Here, Star-Delta Transformation is important as it can be used with other subjects as like Electrical guys can use the same for Transient Stability Analysis for Fault away from line ends in Power Systems and Maximum Power Transfer Theorem is also important but there is one trick involved there as well that this theorem is only applicable when you need to derive the maximum power delivered to load and the load resistance is variable.
Steady-State Sinusoidal Analysis
The most important concept under this topic is the concept of Phasors which is important for Electrical guys as they encounter Phasors more often in Electrical Machines and Power Systems. This is important as it reduces the effort immensely for solving an AC Network and also for this topic, you need to have a command on dealing with complex numbers by hand as complex functionality is not present in Virtual Calculator. After that, you also need to study how the Network Theorems change for AC circuits as when there are multiple sources having different frequencies the Superposition Theorem comes in handy. The maximum power transfer theorem is a bit more complicated as compared to DC circuits as there are different cases based on Load and Source Impedance. The concept of Resonance is also very important under this topic and the key to that is just to equate the imaginary part of Impedance and Admittance to zero based on the case under consideration. Also, you need to remember basic formulas for Quality factor and bandwidth for Series and Parallel RLC networks. Then you also need to have the basic knowledge about drawing the locus diagram of different phasor quantities in an AC network. This topic is small but sometimes asked and it is very much similar to Polar Plot in Control Systems so you can easily understand it by relating it to Polar Plot.
Transient Analysis
The transient response for general circuits like RC and RL circuits should be directly remembered in terms of initial and final conditions. It will save you a lot of time and can be used in many places else like Chopper circuits in Power Electronics for EE Guys. Apart from this, there is not much but you should always try to solve one or two problems completely by forming the differential equations and solving them so that you can always handle the non-standard cases. Also, there are second-order networks such as the RLC network and LC oscillator and in those cases, you need to understand how to write the response based on whether the network is under-damped, critically damped, or over-damped. LC oscillator comes in handy when we study Power Electronics.
Circuit Analysis Using Laplace Transform
This topic is important as this comes in handy for Control Systems also and here the important thing to remember is to include the initial conditions in the models for Inductor and Capacitor in the s-domain and you need to remember some common Laplace Transforms which you may do anyways in Signals and Systems. The circuits should be analyzed using Laplace Transform when the supply is not a constant voltage DC source or a step voltage source. in those cases, you can directly use the Transient Equation for Networks.
State Equations for Networks
This topic is covered in more detail in Control Systems. Here, you need to define a state model for the Electrical Networks by suitably choosing the state variables. This topic is not included in the GATE EE curriculum.
2-Port Networks
Here the important parameters are Z-parameters, Y-parameters, H-parameters, and Transmission Parameters. You need to memorize the conditions for Symmetry and Reciprocity in terms of various parameters. Also, one more thing is important here as to what parameters are added or multiplied for different network configurations like Cascaded Connection, Parallel Connection, and others. To find these parameters you just need to remember the Network Equations for various parameters and then decide which quantity should be equated to zero to find a particular parameter which avoids the need to memorize the formulas for these parameters.
Three Phase Circuits
Three Phase Circuits come more important to EE guys as they have to deal with three-phase circuits in Electrical Machines and Power Systems, so in Network Theory only the basics of those are covered and the thing to be remembered is the relationships between Phase and Line quantities (Voltage and Current) for both Star and Delta Connections.
These relationships are very handy as they can be used directly for balanced 3-phase circuits and unbalanced circuits will be solved completely step-by-step as there are no direct relations but the questions from this topic are very rare.
Magnetic Circuits
This topic though not directly mentioned under the Network Analysis curriculum but it is present under EMT in the GATE EE curriculum. The topics that you need to study in this chapter are the basics of MMF, Flux, and Reluctance and these concepts will help you in Electrical machines. Other than that Dot Convention is very important for Transformers. If you have a grip on these concepts then you can compute Equivalent Inductance in circuits consisting of Magnetically Coupled Coils. These topics will help you ace your GATE exam preparation. For the best network theory gate lectures sign up with Ekeeda. Prepare at your convenience and time for GATE 2022 with us!
GATE Network Theory: Study Tips
Create a self-study plan – If you’ve already done this subject in your graduation, kick start with the most important topics. Don’t wait for coaching centers to teach you. If you’re doing it for the first time, then go in order.
Practice – Practice is the key to success. At the end of every topic, practice problems, analyze your results, check the concepts that you are weak in. If these topics are in the important topics or concepts list then go back and thoroughly study them. If you’re too stressed or occupied with stuff come back later after you’re done with all the subjects and make sure you complete them.
GATE Test Series - After you have finished the entire subject and have done so for others, solve full-length mocks or attempt the GATE test series. Analyze your test scores as it will help you know the preparation stage. After every test, analyze your result and work on the weak topics that hold the maximum weightage in the GATE examination.
For the GATE network theory notes and online courses, download Ekeeda App – India’s best tech educational platform for aspirants.
We hope you have got a fair idea of what and how to study for Network Theory GATE 2022. In case you have any doubts or queries regarding Network Analysis, get in touch @ +91 90290 06464 or care@ekeeda.com
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