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46 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2022 Feature Article by Tamara Jovanovic HAPPIEST BABY When I was a sophomore in college, I had an amazing professor for Physics II: Electric- ity and Magnetism. He made a series of com- plex topics fun to learn, and his personality and way of teaching were almost tailor-made for the way I like to learn. He explained new concepts through practical examples, and always kept students engaged throughout the class, making sure everyone understood the lectures. Physics II was an engineering prereq- uisite, and I didn't mind taking the class since I really enjoyed the material. However, I did find myself wondering a few times, "Will I ever use any physics in real life?" It turns out that the answer to the question was yes. rough the rest of my undergrad and my master's program, I have used physics more than just occasionally. To put it plainly, physics is essentially the study of how every- thing works, and it is everywhere around us. Without realizing it, we use physics while doing simple tasks around the house. e laws of physics describe everything around us, from opening a jar, using our phones, and iron- ing clothes, all the way to understanding how the human body works, driving a car, natural disasters, and electronics manufacturing. Electrical engineers use the laws of physics and mathematics to convert electrical energy and power into a circuit, device, or system. Whether it's semiconductors, circuit design, power distribution, grounding, or shielding, physics is woven through electrical design, and it helps solve complex problems even when we don't realize it. Any circuit board design is a process. In my job, the very first step in PCB design is board planning with mechanical engineers. ere is usually a specific industrial design that is estab- lished as baseline, and we have to work around that when incorporating mechanics and elec- tronics. We discuss critical components and