Missing References & Cross-Course Connections
This document tracks reference pages that should be created and connections to other courses.
Missing Reference Pages (To Create)
Control Theory
| Topic |
Priority |
Lab Connection |
Content Needed |
| Open/Closed Loop Control |
HIGH |
Lab 02, 05 |
Definition, examples, block diagrams |
| PID Control Introduction |
HIGH |
Lab 03, 06 |
P, I, D components, tuning methods |
| Ziegler-Nichols Tuning |
MEDIUM |
Lab 06 |
Step response, oscillation method |
| Stability & Oscillation |
MEDIUM |
Lab 03 |
Overshoot, damping, steady-state error |
Physics Connections
| Topic |
Priority |
Lab Connection |
Content Needed |
| Acoustics (Sound/Frequency) |
MEDIUM |
Lab 01 |
Frequency, wavelength, musical notes |
| Optics (Color/Light) |
LOW |
Lab 01 |
RGB model, additive color, IR reflection |
| Rotational Kinematics |
HIGH |
Lab 05 |
Angular velocity, acceleration, integration |
| Friction & Statics |
MEDIUM |
Lab 02 |
Static vs kinetic, dead zone explanation |
| Wave Mechanics |
LOW |
Lab 04 |
Ultrasonic reflection, cone angle |
Math Connections
| Topic |
Priority |
Lab Connection |
Content Needed |
| Numerical Integration |
HIGH |
Lab 05 |
Euler method, trapezoidal, error accumulation |
| Linear Regression |
MEDIUM |
Lab 06 |
Slope, intercept, least squares |
| Statistics Basics |
MEDIUM |
Lab 06 |
Mean, variance, standard deviation |
| Error Propagation |
MEDIUM |
Lab 02, 05 |
How errors accumulate |
| Weighted Average |
LOW |
Lab 03 |
Sensor position calculation |
Computer Science
| Topic |
Priority |
Lab Connection |
Content Needed |
| Finite State Machines (Formal) |
MEDIUM |
Lab 07 |
Automata theory, formal definition |
| Real-Time Systems |
HIGH |
Lab 04 |
Hard/soft real-time, deadlines, scheduling |
| Concurrency Patterns |
MEDIUM |
Lab 04 |
Polling, interrupts, cooperative multitasking |
| API Design Principles |
LOW |
Lab 08 |
Abstraction, encapsulation, interfaces |
Hardware/Electronics
| Topic |
Priority |
Lab Connection |
Content Needed |
| Differential Drive Kinematics |
HIGH |
Lab 02 |
Turning radius, ICR calculation |
| MEMS Sensors |
MEDIUM |
Lab 05 |
Gyroscope physics, Coriolis effect |
| Motor Characteristics |
MEDIUM |
Lab 02 |
Torque-speed curve, stall current |
| Signal Conditioning |
LOW |
Lab 03-05 |
Filtering, noise, sampling |
Cross-Course Connections
→ Physics Courses
| ES101 Topic |
Physics Course |
Specific Topic |
| Sound generation (Lab 01) |
Acoustics |
Frequency, wavelength, resonance |
| RGB LEDs (Lab 01) |
Optics |
Additive color mixing, human perception |
| Ultrasonic sensor (Lab 04) |
Wave Physics |
Speed of sound, reflection, refraction |
| Gyroscope (Lab 05) |
Mechanics |
Angular momentum, Coriolis effect |
| Motor dead zone (Lab 02) |
Mechanics |
Static vs kinetic friction |
| Integration drift (Lab 05) |
Thermodynamics |
Temperature effects on electronics |
→ Mathematics Courses
| ES101 Topic |
Math Course |
Specific Topic |
| Gyro integration (Lab 05) |
Calculus |
Definite integrals, numerical methods |
| P-control (Lab 03) |
Algebra |
Linear functions, proportionality |
| Error analysis (Lab 06) |
Statistics |
Mean, variance, normal distribution |
| Kp optimization (Lab 06) |
Optimization |
Finding minima, gradient descent |
| State machines (Lab 07) |
Discrete Math |
Graphs, automata, formal languages |
| Sensor fusion |
Linear Algebra |
Matrices, Kalman filter basics |
→ Computer Science Courses
| ES101 Topic |
CS Course |
Specific Topic |
| State machines (Lab 07) |
Automata Theory |
FSM, regular languages |
| Non-blocking (Lab 04) |
Operating Systems |
Scheduling, concurrency |
| Architecture (Lab 09) |
Software Engineering |
Design patterns, SOLID |
| Data logging (Lab 06) |
Databases |
CSV, data formats, storage |
| picobot library (Lab 08) |
OOP |
Encapsulation, abstraction |
→ Electrical Engineering Courses
| ES101 Topic |
EE Course |
Specific Topic |
| PWM (Lab 01-02) |
Electronics |
Duty cycle, switching, filtering |
| H-Bridge (Lab 02) |
Power Electronics |
Transistor switching, flyback |
| ADC (sensors) |
Signal Processing |
Sampling, quantization, Nyquist |
| I2C (IMU) |
Digital Communications |
Protocols, bus architecture |
| GPIO (Lab 08) |
Digital Logic |
Logic levels, pull-up/down |
Suggested New Reference Structure
Reference/
├── 00-fundamentals/
│ ├── open-closed-loop.md ← NEW
│ ├── execution-models.md (exists)
│ └── real-time-basics.md ← NEW
├── 01-getting-started/
│ └── (existing)
├── 02-digital-io/
│ └── (existing)
├── 03-sensors/
│ └── (existing)
├── 04-control-theory/ ← NEW SECTION
│ ├── p-control.md
│ ├── pid-introduction.md
│ ├── tuning-methods.md
│ └── stability.md
├── 05-motors/
│ ├── (existing)
│ └── differential-drive.md ← NEW
├── 06-software/
│ └── (existing)
├── 07-data-analysis/
│ └── (existing)
└── 08-cross-discipline/ ← NEW SECTION
├── physics-connections.md
├── math-connections.md
└── cs-connections.md
Priority Implementation Order
Phase 1 (Essential for Labs)
04-control-theory/p-control.md - Lab 03 needs this00-fundamentals/open-closed-loop.md - Lab 02, 05 need this05-motors/differential-drive.md - Lab 02 needs this00-fundamentals/real-time-basics.md - Lab 04 needs this
Phase 2 (Enrichment)
04-control-theory/pid-introduction.md08-cross-discipline/physics-connections.md08-cross-discipline/math-connections.md
Phase 3 (Advanced)
- Full control theory section
- Detailed cross-course mappings
- Interactive simulations/visualizations
Notes for Content Creation
When creating these references:
1. Start with "Why" - What problem does this solve?
2. Minimal math first - Intuition before equations
3. Code examples - Show how it applies to picobot
4. Visual diagrams - Block diagrams, plots, animations
5. Cross-links - Connect to related references and labs
6. Further reading - Link to external resources, textbooks