[TU] B.E. in Computer Engineering Subjectwise Guide: First Semester

DISCLAIMER: This guide is prepared by gathering advice and opinions from teachers and students found on various social platforms and in real life. It will help you get a little insight into the subjects you have to study. We don't claim that our methods and pieces of advice are 100% correct and will always work. It's your responsibility to be mindful of the things mentioned here. {alertWarning}

Engineering Mathematics I 

Engineering Mathematics I has a hell of a lot of topics to cover. This subject is one of the longest subjects you'll ever study in your four-year engineering degree. Also, please be mindful that for an engineering degree from Tribhuvan University, a few months are consumed in exams, protests, events, etc. So, you need to be prepared from Day 1.

Do's

• Finish off the exercises before the teacher finishes teaching in the class or if that seems improbable you can at least finish it as soon as the teacher has concluded the chapter in the class.
• Solve all Past Year Questions, as many questions that were asked in the previous year's exams may be repeated in most cases. For example, Proof of Standard Ellipse/Hyperbola, etc. Repeated questions, this is not true for all the subjects but for mathematics.
• Practice a lot with pen and paper: The more you practice the more you remember and fewer chances are there that you will not get stuck in between the problems.

Don'ts

• Speedrun: I know that it's very tempting to speedrun just before exams but believe me engineering subjects are not meant to be speedrun at. Yeah, there are certain topics like Indeterminate Forms, Asymptotes, etc which can be speedrun in like 1 to 2 hours but no...not all topics.
• Skip the workout examples: Many questions from the examples are frequently asked on the exams. And, I am repeating it once again, try to complete the exercise as soon as possible there is nothing like later. Be aware of it! 

Textbooks

1. S. P. Shrestha, H. D. Chaudhary, P. R. Pokharel, "A Textbook of Engineering Mathematics - Vol I", Vidyarthi Pustak Bhandar
2. A Complete Solution of A Textbook of Engineering Mathematics - Vol I

If you want to study more...

1. Erwin Kreyszig, "Advance Engineering Mathematics", John Wiley and Sons Inc
2. Thomas, Finney, "Calculus and Analytical Geometry", Addison-Wesley

YouTube Videos

SJMATHTUBE: Exam Prep Series, is one of the most recommended playlists to help you with problems of Engineering Mathematics I. It is the best buddy for those who choose to start practicing late in the semester.

With all these resources if you want more help then you can watch Dr. Gajendra Purohit's YouTube. He teaches students BTech, BSc, MSc, etc. You may find short videos highly focused on problem-solving rather than theories behind it.

Computer Programming

One of the foundational subjects of Computer Engineering is Computer Programming. It should not be much harder for you, assuming you have already learned it in high school. Even if you are not at all familiar with the subject there are not much of worries as you can do very well if you study this subject very seriously from the beginning. You should know that Computer Programming is not all about C Programming but FORTRAN also.

By now you all must have already comprehended that you are studying in Nepal, if not yet then don't worry the task of writing the program codes on blank A4 size paper and presenting it weekly will surely make you comprehend so. Yes, the lab reports must be handwritten and not printed. Now, about the project. If the time allows, then the teacher might assign you a minor project, and by minor I mean, it's really small so you don't need to stress much about it. It is likely to be done in groups of 4, you may expect some of your teammates not to contribute anything. Simple management systems type of program will be okay to do.

Do's

• Practice writing programs: In the semester exam you are supposed to write the codes on paper, not on a computer so help yourself by practicing writing codes with pen and paper. By practicing writing the codes with pen and paper you are ensuring that you can easily write without missing out on anything. This activity will aware you of what things you miss while writing down on paper.
• Understand more: Try to understand the concepts which will make it easier to elaborate the answers asked in the examinations. Give examples, and show syntax, wherever possible.

Don'ts

• Skip the theory: A major chunk of the questions are asked from the theory portion. So, study the theory well, it will do only the good.

YouTube Videos

Ashley Mills: Learn to program with c, a YouTube playlist that caters to everyone. Even if you are a novice you can follow along the videos but be mindful about the topics that are included in the syllabus. Not all videos from here are important to you.

Jenny's Lectures: With 11 Million+ views, Programming in C by Jenny's Lectures is one of the most preferred videos to learn the subject. The concepts are explained very clearly along with dry runs and make every beginner easily understand the tough concepts.

thenewboston: C Programming Tutorials by thenewboston also is one of the most loved tutorials by many.

Extra Resources

1. C Programming Guide
2. C Programming Project List
3. C Programming Code Solutions Repository

Engineering Drawing I 

Engineering Drawing I is such a subject that can take your nights and days away from you. If this subject was ever listed on IMDB then it's certain that it will receive a rating like 1.9/10. But to be fair it is one of the best subjects for easy marks. 

Do's

• Do the tutorial properly: It is highly recommended to do the questions from the tutorial sheet and from assignments by teachers.
• Try your best to visualize: Many of you might find it difficult to visualize. Visualizing the object can make the question much easier for you. Questions from orthographic projection and sectional views can be easy but drawings from other topics are a little difficult to visualize like in the descriptive geometry. Nonetheless, you have to try your best.
• Read M. C. Luitel's Textbook: The only book that fits perfectly in the IOE syllabus. It has a lot of stuff to look into, including stepwise instructions for the drawings. You must not miss the initial chapters of this book which has detailed instructions for drawing things like spirals, cycloids, polygons, tangents, etc. You should at least go through this book once before the exams.

Don'ts

• Speedrun: Okay, so listen to this carefully! If you want to make the 3-day study gap way less stressful then please don't leave any doubts and questions till the eleventh hour. If you do the tutorials very well and do the work in class you can easily pass the study gap with proper revision.
• Neglect time management: Time management is one key thing to do in your exams. Things like encountering new questions, erasing, and redrawing take a lot of your time. If you have good practice drawing then it is not much of a concern but I see this problem with many of you.

Textbooks

1. M. C. Luintel, "Engineering Drawing (Vol. I)", Athrai Publication (P) Limited. (This book is also very popular in the engineering student's community and is sometimes referred to as the "drawing book by MCL" or just "MCL") 

YouTube Videos

Learn with us: One of the best YouTube channels that can turn your perspective of the subject from hell to heaven. Overall this channel is very helpful. जितनी तारीफ की जाये उतनी कम है ।

Check out Chapter-wise Study Strategy for Engineering Drawing I {alertInfo}

We are not at all short on YouTube tutorials. 

If you ever struggle to visualize things that are related to drawing then Tikle's Academy comes to the rescue. 

For the solutions, you can visit the GeniusNepalTV YouTube channel. The videos available there are very different from what you see from others. It contains a muted animated video with a stepwise process. It can surely help you in some way. 

I found Manas Patnaik's channel being recommended in some old records, so you can certainly check it out as well.

Engineering Physics 

Engineering Physics is perceived as the toughest subject after Applied Mechanics. But if you have studied well in +2 and during the entrance preparation then this subject will be relatively easier for you. If you see the syllabus of Engineering Physics then you will realize that there are so many topics to cover. You have to study as much as you did in grade 11 and 12 physics combined, that too in 6 months (not exactly 6 months, just 3-4 months).

Do's

• Pay attention in class: Try to understand the fundamental concepts, the process of deriving the equations, and ways to solve numerical problems. Electromagnetism is a very essential chapter you will learn in this semester so pay utmost attention while studying it.
• Master the derivations: Not just 10 or 11 but there are more than 20 derivations in this subject. Most of them are derivations and integrations, just go through each of them. The more you repeat doing those derivations, the more you can master them. Practice until you can do the complete derivations without any errors.
• Practice from Past Year Questions (PYQs): The questions from previous years are repeated most of the time so you better look at those questions very well.
• Be patient: Studying Physics takes time so try to study consistently from Day 1 or as early as possible. You will not regret this decision, believe me.

Don'ts

• Skip the formula: Most of the numerical problems that are asked in the exams just require you to insert a formula and boom, you get your answer. This is that simple. Yeah, some problems might require your understanding like optics, electromagnetism, etc. Some students just learn the formula and do not know how to use it, so it is also very crucial to know the ways to solve it.

Textbooks

1. Book with only the topics that are most asked in the exams: Tikaram Bhatta, "A Textbook of Engineering Physics", Sunlight Publication
2. Book rich with numerical problems: Sapkota, Pokharel, Bhattarai, "Fundamentals of Engineering Physics", Benchmark Publication
3. Book for a speedrun: S. Parajuli, "Insights on Engineering Physics", System Inception

If you want to study more...

1. Halliday, Resnick, Walker, "Fundamentals of Physics", John Wiley & Sons. Inc.

Applied Mechanics

You must have heard that this subject is the most difficult in the first semester. It is said so because the marks weightage of risky questions is higher. When you have a glance over the PYQs you can feel them. You need to be very serious about practicing questions from the very beginning.

Do's

• Practice: You must practice a lot to correctly complete the numerical problems which will be the major part of the question paper. 
• Learn all varieties: If we see questions from frames there are so many variations, one having a uniform level of support, one with force at a certain angle, one with a hinge, etc. So there are many variations in every question you see in all chapters of this subject. If you learn all of them earlier then you won't be unga bunga in the examinations.

Don'ts

• Neglect theories: Alongside numerical problems, they will ask for some definitions, give reasons, importance, laws, etc. Studying the theories can help you secure marks which may help you to either get pass marks or get higher marks.

Textbooks

1. Hari Ram Parajuli, Sudan Neupane, "Applied Mechanics for Engineers", MK Publishers & Distributors
2. Solution Book for Applied Mechanics for Engineers
3. Two tutorial sheets for Statics and Dynamics, provided by the College's Library are also one of the recommended ways to practice different questions.
4. Insights on Applied Mechanics for B.E. by System Inception (it consists of past year questions with solutions, you may practice beams, frames, and truss questions from here)

If you want to study more...

1. F. P. Beer and E. R. Johnston, Jr., "Mechanics of Engineers - Statics and Dynamics", Mc Graw-Hill

YouTube Videos

Er. Sunil Rakhal: This channel is a life savior. Many students find videos by Sunil Rakhal very helpful. He does on-point explanations with step-wise guide. 

There are other YouTube channels too, but be aware of the conventions and ways to solve the questions.

Basic Electrical Engineering 

It is considered one of the easiest subjects which makes it easy to score marks as it has less theory and many numericals. But with that said, it's not as easy as said. Each question kind of has a weightage of 6 to 8 marks. It is more like आए आँप, गए झटारो । The subject is not very difficult to study as the concepts are easy to grasp. You can easily master tackling the problem with enough practice.

Do's

• Get the most out of your calculator: In basic electrical engineering, a scientific calculator is more than just a device to add and subtract. Use your calculator wisely, to do complex number calculations, vector calculations, solve simultaneous equations, etc.
• Solve Past Year Questions: Solving questions asked in previous year's examinations will boost your confidence. It will make you comfortable with the question patterns. If you are lucky enough then there's no doubt that you may see a repeated question.
• Recheck your answers: You are likely making a big mistake by not rechecking your answers in numerical problems. I highly advise you to do so if you have time for the examinations.

Don'ts

• Neglect any topics: As much as possible please cover all the topics. If you have the book mentioned below by Manish, and Manisha, then you can get through very well.

Textbooks

1. A Course in Basic Electrical Engineering by Manish, Manisha

If you want to study more...

1. B. L. Theraja, A. K. Theraja, "A Textbook of Electrical Technology", S. Chand