Teaching Transmission Line Propagation and Plane Wave Reflection Using Software Tools

Abstract

Teaching transmission lines and wave propagation is a challenging task because it involves quantities not easily observable and also because the underlying mathematical equations— functions of time, distance and using complex numbers—are not prone to an easy physical interpretation in a frequent framework of a superposition of traveling waves in distinct directions. In such a context, tools with a strong visualization and easy student interaction can improve the learning outputs. We describe here a few tools and give basic exercises to address the main learning topics.