Book Description

Systematic problem-solving methodology.

• Extensive use of first law thermodynamics.
• Finite Element Heat Transfer (FEHT) program w/ printed user's guide--A new software program (from the makers of EES) that solves 2D and transient conduction problems. ... Read more

  Reviews (14)

  Thorough heat transfer book
  This is an excellent text for the heat transfer novice, both as a supplement to a class and as a personal teaching tool. The writing is easy to understand, and the chapters are arranged logically. The examples are well chosen and usually demonstrate how the theory and equations can be put to good use.

  I have only two complaints about this text: There are far too few sample problems (and no problems with only answers provided) and the mass transfer is not taught in a useful way. The prior is a failure of many text books, but the latter is a major drawback. Incropera and Dewitt basically say "Mass transfer is the same as heat transfer, except use these units and equations." All of the mass transfer is tucked into a few chapters, as if it was an afterthought.

  I recommend this book to anyone interested in the fundamentals of heat transfer, but look elsewhere for a useful introduction to mass transfer.

  Excellent general heat transfer book
  This is the best all around book on heat transfer I have come across. I have owned the 3rd edition for nearly 10 years and refer to it almost daily in my job (doing heat transfer and fluid flow analysis for a semiconductor equipment company). The theory is clearly explained and well illustrated by many worked examples. The extensive tables of thermal properties in the back are nearly worth the price themselves. I don't think the serious student of heat transfer can go wrong with this book.

  Excellent Heat X-Fer but So-So Mass X-Fer
  I used this textbook for a few years when teaching a course in heat and mass transfer. The heat transfer parts are some of the best I've seen. Very clear explanations and great diagrams. The mass transfer material is not all that great. The authors are mechanical engineers but mass transfer is really the domain of chemical engineers. They're not as often clear (or even totally correct) in the mass transfer sections. There used to be a heat transfer only version of this textbook which might be a better buy. For mass transfer I would use any established chemical engineering textbook.

  A great book
  Even if you don't need a course in heat/mass transfer, you could take it just for the book. One of the best engineering books I have ever read, Incropera and De Witt do a great job of explaining heat transfer. Throughout the book, they use clear examples to illustrate the material (and they keep the units throughout the examples!). The only flaw is the mass transfer section (Ch. 14 & 15, I believe). It is a little confusing, but a couple of trips to the professor's office will remedy this. A couple of typos, but not to the extent of other books I've read.

  Heat and mss transfer simplified
  Dear fellow readers: The subject of mass and heat transfer is very involved, and it has applications in many industrial processes. This book starts with a very fundamental explanation of heat transfer. The introduction seems to be from a grade ten science class, hence it is easily understood. As the chapters develop, other concepts such as thermodynamics, solids, and fluids come in to discussion. For this reason I recommend that any one who wishes to read this book, have a firm grasp on these subjects. These sections are far and few in between, so a reader can further develop their understanding with out much difficulty. As the title states the book is about both heat and mass transfer. It is interesting to note that, although these subjects are fundamentally different the calculations are very similar thanks to dimensionless numbers. The book does a very good job of explaining and relating these topics to each other. In my personal opinion, if there is one book that should be bought that encompasses these subjects, and can be used as a reference in the future, this book is my preferred choice. ... Read more

Book Description

This best-selling classical mechanics text, written for the advanced undergraduate one- or two-semester course, provides a complete account of the classical mechanics of particles, systems of particles, and rigid bodies. Vector calculus is used extensively to explore topics.The Lagrangian formulation of mechanics is introduced early to show its powerful problem solving ability.. Modern notation and terminology are used throughout in support of the text's objective: to facilitate students' transition to advanced physics and the mathematical formalism needed for the quantum theory of physics. CLASSICAL DYNAMICS OF PARTICLES AND SYSTEMS can easily be used for a one- or two-semester course, depending on the instructor's choice of topics. ... Read more

Reviews (37)

No fuss over mathematical formalism here!
Why is everyone complaining about the mathematical formalism in this text? While perhaps such formalism requires a certain level of mathematical maturity on the part of the reader, it does *not* detract from pedagogy. In my opinion, it is better to become used to such formalism in the context of classical dynamics, where intuition can be of great help, than later on, and please, calculus and linear algebra is all that's required! It's not *that* formal!

I'd also like to say that the Hamiltonian and Lagrangian sections present one of the more lucid explanations that I have seen.

Finally, no, the author does not give you an example problem and then ask you to do the same problem with different numbers at the end of the chapter--he assumes you could do that. If you can't read a book that doesn't have such trivial problems for you to work, perhaps you should go elsewhere. The problems in this book are often challenging, and require you to extrapolate from the previous chapters. I find such problems more interesting than ones that require you to only look back in the chapter, grab two equations, eliminate one variable, and then plug in numbers. I'm not sure why everyone has jumped on the "the problems aren't worded well" bandwagon either, as I have encountered very little ambiguity throughout this book. If you want to master classical dynamics, this isn't the only book you'll want to work through, but it certainly should be on your list.

Solid Understandable Book in Mechanics
I took a mechanics course 9 years ago with an earlier edition, finished undergrad and left the study of physics. Recently I bought a new edition and I have just finished self studying this book and I felt that it's quite excellent. The problems are challenging but that is precisely what I expected. I think it really deserves 4 stars but I gave it 5 because the average ratings given by other reviewers is too low. I would like to go through the positives and negatives of this text. However keep in mind that the negatives of this text are apparent pretty much in every physics text.

Positives: 1) The text is easy to understand, the problems follow from the text 2) Answers to even numbers excercises in the back of text. This is absolutely crucial if you are self studying without an instructor. 3) Problems are random in their difficulty and individually comprehensive in their review of the chapter.
4) The Mathematics is pretty elementary, with a solid understanding of Calculus and differential equations you should be properly equipped to handle the entire text.

Negatives: 1) There are little to no difficult problems involving Newtonian formalism (Forces). Energy and momentum is predominantly used, for good reason, but it does not hurt to go back to the more rigorous approach of Forces for some difficult problems.

2) It would be nice to have a chapter dedicated to cyclic coordinates, Poisson Brackets and Canonical Transformations.

3)Impulses(chap 9) are dealt with in Integral form as opposed to differential form of the time change in momenta. The latter is much more intuitive and useful for solving problems.

4)Wider use in problems and examples of Poisson's equation for gravity.

5) Relativity should be introduced much earlier in the text. This is one of the formalisms of every undergraduate textbook in physics which I do not understand. Relativity always gets pushed back towards the end of textbooks. There is nothing particularly difficult about the subject that demands that it get treated in such a fashion. As opposed to the three chapters prior (dynamics of rigid bodies, coupled oscillations and waves) which are much more demanding. Furthermore it would be useful for students taking E&M at the same time as Mechanics to have had some experience with 4 vectors before dealing with Maxwell's equations.

A Road to Higher Realms
Whether knowingly or unknowingly, most of the physics text reviews that I have read may be divided into two categories:

- those who loved or hated the book because it was not written to teach physics through a conceptual framework.

- those who loved or hated the book because it was not written to teach physics through the development of skills.

Then the reviews may be divided again into two categories:

- those who loved or hated the book because it conveyed an exclusively classic and/or historical treatment of physics.

- those who loved or hated the book because it conveyed a modern treatments of physics.

Therefore, I will write my review within the same framework that everyone else seems to...

I loved this book because it was written to teach physics through the development of SKILLS; I loved this book because it did so through a CLASSIC TREATMENT of physics.

Now I will explain why...

The study of physics is FAR MORE than an extraction of information from a book, the way that, say, reading an encyclopedia entry is. The study of physics, rather, is a MENTAL DISCIPLINE, that takes 10,000 hours of intensive mental effort just to become a 'fairly skilled beginner', and at least half a lifetime of intensive mental effort to become an expert in just one, very small, sub-sub-field. It is a journey in which one must tavel the same mental footsteps that the great physicists of the past did before one is ready to travel the new and original mental footsteps of their own research activity. Along the way, one must start with easy treatments, must progress through the intermediate treatments, and must one day tackle the tremendously difficult advanced treatments, of every sub-field of study. Early in the study of a new stage of such a sub-field, one must obtain a solid understanding of every concept, and after this, they must move on from mere concepts, and must develop an exceptional skill set. And one day, if one has been utterly dedicated and unwavering, and if one has worked harder than they ever thought would be necessary when they stood at the beginning of the road... one WILL find that they have reached a higher realm.

I am utterly convinced that this book is the ideal written work that one should study at the time and place in the journey that it is usually encountered on this road.

Ad tedium
I came to this course after taking honors freshman physics at Yale with An Intro to Mechanics by Kleppner and Kolenkow. And, unfortunately, this book just is not as good. The mathematical derivations are often tedious and uninsightful, a good description as well for many of the problems. In addition, many of the problems, particularly the tougher ones, are already worked out in the text. For me, the text is a combination of mediocre treatment of material with exceptionally poor problems. The problems in this text are, in general, easier than those in K&K, but they often take three times as long to write out. Many of them are exercises in 10th grade algebra, or 12th grade calculus (read: horrible integrals and looong expressions to simplify). What is required is not insight, but exceptional care at not making simple errors and patience for long derivations of often obvious results. For a physics major, this book just seems like a colossal waste of time and money. If you want reinforcement of concepts, turn to Feynman in his lectures. For insightful and challenging mechanics (though Hamiltonian and Lagrangian dynamics are missing), Kleppner and Kolenkow is a far better text.

Utterly disgraceful! May be the worst in the physics canon.
(Disclaimer: All my criticisms are directed against Stephen Thornton, who prepared this edition when Marion died. I haven't seriously examined the earlier editions.)

Let it not be said that this book is utterly without virtue. It does have a good store of challenging, interesting problems. Also, the introductory chapter includes a unique (for this level) discussion of the Levi-Civita notation, which is great for managing complicated expressions in vector and tensor analysis (if you're currently taking junior or senior E&M, use this if your teacher asks you to verify all those crazy vector identities on the inside cover of your book!). But beyond this, I can see no redeeming virtues. In a genre which is littered with astoundingly bad books, this book is a standout, and is among the "hated classics" like Reif's statistical mechanics book or J.D. Jackson's E&M book. But even those books, which are admittedly overly-difficult and often obtuse, do contain a lot of quality thought and valuable knowledge. A good book, when re-read, will reveal greater and greater depths of insight and knowledge.

But rereading this book only revealed greater levels of sloppy thought. Only the more elementary derivations are comprehensible; the rest are befuddling, and I found that I had to write my own derivations and look up alternatives because the examples were either unconvincing, incomprehensible, or seemed to be based on incorrect physical reasoning. Ironically, I found that this book improved my confidence in mechanics because I had to spend so much time trying to compensate for the enormous failings logic, calculation, and pedagogy. But I'd still give it zero stars if I could.

This book is just plain bad (a judgement I very rarely make), and I am very curious as to whether the reviewers who defend the book really thought about its contents or tried to follow all of its logic step by step, as one should do during any serious examination of a science text. Now some reviewers had good teachers, in which case they probably paid more attention to their lecture notes than the book. An individual skilled with mathematical manipulation can do surprisingly difficult problems without thinking very much about the underlying physical concepts or looking at any part of a derivation other than the part in the box. Finally, a very bright person may simply think through matters for themselves during and after a class, not taking time to examine the book. So I am not insulting the readers who gave it good reviews; I'm sure they did well in class, since students who get good grades don't write vitriol-filled reviews about the required text on Amazon.com. But I know they didn't really read it carefully.

Instructors often choose this book because they were taught from previous editions (which may be superior), and may be too lazy or recalcitrant to change their ways. Although I often got cross looks from my professors for complaining about it, they generally agreed with my criticisms when I pushed the issue. But I didn't need to convince them. I overheard one professor bashing Chapter 4 as "just hacked together at the last minute because the material is sexy and fashionable." And right he was, for that chapter contains the worst explanations of nonlinear dynamics concepts I have ever seen (even if you discount the wrongly-printed Poincare sections towards the end). This same teacher admitted that he had spend over twenty minutes trying to understand the explanation of a very simple formula (and he is a theoretician who knows far more math than the average physicist).
Another fellow I knew, a Ph.D who was teaching an advanced mechanics class at my school for the first time, and was asked to use Marion, rewrote just about every example and explanation in the book for his students because he found them incomprehensible or too obtuse for beginners.

So don't feel bad if this book befuddled you. You're not alone, either among the great (Ph.D theoreticians and experimentalists) or the small (bile-spouting nobodies with undergraduate degree only).

Finally, a bit of advice for students: If you were made to buy this book, I recommend that you go to your library and find books about classical mechanics. Pick up a book or two that doesn't have the name "Thornton" on the cover. Now, it may be too easy (French's "Newtonian Mechanics" is less mathematical, but I still recommend it) or too hard (Goldstein is for highly motivated and prepared undergrads only), but I can tell you in all confidence that the random mechanics book you pick out will be better than the one you have now. ... Read more

Book Description

The 4th Edition of Cengel & Boles Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach takes thermodynamics education to the next level through its intuitive and innovative approach. A long-time favorite among students and instructors alike because of its highly engaging, student-oriented conversational writing style, this book is now the to most widely adopted thermodynamics text in the U.S. and in the world. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A MODEL BOOK FOR TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTORS
I HAVE GONE THROUGH THE BOOK THERMODYNAMICS BY YUNUS CENGEL AND MICHAEL BOLES AND FOUND IT EXTREMELY USEFUL. THE LANGUAGE IS VERY LUCID AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS PARTICULARLY THE CARTOONS ARE EXTREMELY EDUCATIVE WITH AN ADDED TOUCH OF HUMOR WHICH PENETRATES THE MINDS OF THE STUDENT AND FACULTY. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT AS A HIGH QUALITY TEXT BOOK PARTICULARLY FOR BEGINERS IN ENGINEERING THERMODYNAMICS.<br /> SIDDHARTHA ROY<br /> FACULTY MEMBER,ICFAI TECH, BHUBANESWAR,INDIA<br /> COURSE INSTRUCTOR,THERMODYNAMICS

the best text on the market - for the total beginner/dummy
To all eng thermo learners: i did an intensive comparison of Cengel4 and MoranShapiro5 whenever on the john. Sonntag6 was out-of-race: book really bad (in comparison to the two in question), so let's not talk about it any further. So the remaining top-sellers, they are *the* most widely-used most popular intro texts (the very first two semesters on thermo for engineering students) available; very comprehensive (~800pages) and extremely modern in didactics, layout, and content presentation. No wonder that they are the two best-sold intro texts. Question: which is better?
Results: Both are 100% equally top choices (and 95% equal in teaching text) and in the end it s only a matter of taste and peripheral preferences. My personal peripheral preference would be the "Which one s the better deal (US $)?". Well, MoranShapiro5 is a little harder to read (it uses one colour only: pics, drawings, and images all in GREEN, aarrgh!) and not as nicely layout as Cengel4. But text is a little more detailed and the examples are much longer, and a bit harder and thus more detailed too! Number of examples seems to be higher too (!?) ("So, if you re not a dummie (=total beginner), go for S/M as text and ref!"). Furthermore, the WileyInternationalEdition comes in HARDCOVER whereas the McGraw-HillInternationEdtion comes in PAPERBACK. Both books feature a student book companion site or online learning center. The Wiley book site has the fantastic "ThermoNet"-website, and instructors will find digitized solutions to all text problems. The McGraw-Hill book site does not offer much neither to the student nor to the instructor. Textwise, Cengel *is* better. Easier to read, grasp, learn, and understand. And apply ("So, the best thermo book for dummies is Cengel!"). VERY VERY nice layout, VERY attractive and fun to work with. An enjoyable reading. A bit more fun than Moran's. But as explained, all in all the better deal would be MoranShapiro5. Moran's text is the more serious one: useful as text *and* reference. Cengel's book-for-dummies is very useful for total beginners and poor learners. Well, if you *now* begin to complain that neither Cengel's nor Moran's book pleases you, then you wont find any other good intro tome ('picture book'). These two intro tomes *are* the best, there are no better on the market. Choose one of the two, or dont buy any intro text on eng thermo! If you dont like these two books because eng thermo is too hard for you, then please have a close look at Octave Levenspiel's intro text "Understanding Engineering Thermo". This might be the best to start with then. For you.
BTW, both Moran's and Cengel's are rated 4 stars only because even though those two are the very best on the market (any other intro text is worse, believe me. dont lose your time with looking for another and comparing!), they are not perfect. There are few points to criticize (less for Cengel than for Moran.) but where s the point in criticizing/enumerating con's if there aint any better intro text on the market? you wouldnt have any other choice anyway: these two *are* the best, even if not perfect, they are still worth buying for those who like the subject and who really need an intro tome. Doesnt matter if you like Moran's Cengel's or not: you wont find any other intro tome to like better. So my final advise: buy one of the two (if you like it OR if you need it OR if you dont like it but need one) or buy none intro text on eng thermo at all (because all other competitors on the market are much worse)!

Thermodynamics with a bad, good, or no teacher.
This is an excelent book. Yanus Cengel & Michael Boles did a very good job. I have read the other reviews about it being too wordy. That is the case sometimes but not really enough to make things difficult. Although I appreciate the analogies and definitions for some topics. I have no idea if this book is good for review since I read it cover to cover. The suplimental paperback book with tables came in very handy. The one big problem though, is that it physically fell apart. The binding is done very poorly and I had to take back one book after I read chapter Four. The one I have now has been glued back together several times and I taped it with wide clear packing tape along the sides to keep it together. The text book is a keeper. Maybe McGraw Hill knows that and they want to sell duplicate copies to those who read it.

A wordy, but down to earth text
This is a great textbook if you want a detailed explanation for all aspects of thermodynamics; however if you just want to know the basics you will probably get tired of this text quickly. The books greatest strength is it writing style which talks too the student, not above the student, in a down to earth way. This writing style can also be a weakness. Many have complained that they have to read through pages upon pages of prose just to get at a simple concept. There is also a lot of information on "special interest topics" which the busy junior engineering student may want to skip because of time. Even though a lot of the answers are given, you may spend a lot of trying to solve problems that have the wrong answer printed in the text, which is always annoying. In my opinion, if you learn on your own, and you want to really learn a lot, you are going to spend a lot of time reading this text. This is great if you have a poor instructor. If you just need to learn the basics, then you will have to skip the text and supplement with some sort of course outline book to save time.

thermodynamics
this is not a good book for autostudy. ... Read more

Book Description

Faced with increasing global competition, every industry, business, and service organization is restructuring itself to operate more effectively. Cost-effectiveness and product reliability without excess capacity are the keys to successful activity in business, industry, and government, and these keys are the end results of methods engineering.

The 11th edition of Methods, Standards, and Work Design provides practical, up-to-date descriptions of engineering methods to measure, analyze, and design manual work. The text emphasizes both the manual components and the cognitive aspects of work, recognizing the gradual decline of the manufacturing sector and the growth of the service sector. The importance of ergonomics and work design as part of methods engineering is emphasized not only to increase productivity, but also to improve worker health and safety, and thus, company bottom-line costs. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

11th edition
I am one of the professors Dr. Seifert is talking about in his review. I continue to use this textbook in both graduate and undergraduate classes on job design. Every semester I search for a better alternative, but am unable to find it. I find this book to be helpful and a good reference that incorporates ergonomics, work design, and methods engineering. (I also use old versions of the lab book that contain very well-made forms.) This text contains the best discussion of time standards I have seen. The 11th edition contains a new chapter on cognitive work. This is a topic I have always discussed and am glad to see formal treatment of it in the new edition. As with any textbook, I do not use it as the sole source of information taught in the classroom and would not recommend it as a sole source. I use the topics in the text to launch discussions and research papers on systems theory, lean, cycle time, environmental, process improvement methodologies, ethics, and other issues for manufacturing and non-shopfloor applications. I find the book especially useful in the area of work design and time standards.

Students have found these skills useful in the workplace. Many of our students work in process improvement and lean implementations. They use these skills to reduce cycle time and balance the lines to meet the demands of customers. Good implementation of lean requires knowledge of how to balance a line to meet customer demand, identify constraints, reduce cycle time, eliminate waste, understanding and dealing with change, cost/benefit analysis, and a direct understanding the relationship between the customer demand and production rate. This text touches on or covers in detail these topics.

I find that the book appears to focus on machine and operator efficiency and utilization, has a primarily decompositional view of work, and concentrates mostly on shopfloor operations. Even with these drawbacks, the text gives the reader solid information on improving workplace design and reducing cycle time while improving worker safety and productivity. I use the discussion on machine and worker utilization to compare and contrast with other manufacturing philosophies, and to relate what the text is covering to more 'big picture' aspects. Other topics not included are a good discussion of maintenance operations and quality. I suggest using other sources to incorporate those topics. All in all, the book is not perfect. It is a very good reference book and text book.

1955 Concepts in 1999 Edition
This antiquated textbook is still used at colleges and universities throughout the United States. The first edition of this book was published in 1955 and, after nine more editions, appears largely unchanged in its mentality. Specifically, the textbook is written for a time when corporations had legions of industrial engineers who did nothing but detailed and tedious time and motion studies. Unfortunately, today's dynamic manufacturing environment renders many of the authors' techniques impractical or even financially hazardous. For example, it emphasizes the need to maximize machine utilization (even if the machine is not considered a bottleneck operation). Practices like these lead to excessive inventory and sub-optimization of the collective manufacturing process. In summary, I believe this textbook does a great disservice to those manufacturing firms that have achieved dramatic productivity gains through the application of lean manufacturing techniques. ... Read more

Book Description

A cocktail party.A terrorist cell.Ancient bacteria.An international conglomerate.

All are networks, and all are a part of a surprising scientific revolution. Albert-L&aacuteszl&oacute Barab&aacutesi, the nation's foremost expert in the new science of networks, takes us on an intellectual adventure to prove that social networks, corporations, and living organisms are more similar than previously thought. Grasping a full understanding of network science will someday allow us to design blue-chip businesses, stop the outbreak of deadly diseases, and influence the exchange of ideas and information. Just as James Gleick brought the discovery of chaos theory to the general public, Linked tells the story of the true science of the future. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Dimensions and Implications of Global Interconnectedness
Frankly, I found this to be an unusually challenging book to read the first time and therefore re-read it before organizing my thoughts for this review. The Five Star rating correctly indicates my high regard for what Barabasi has accomplished as he attempts to help his reader to think in terms of networks in new and different (probably unfamiliar) ways. His book "is about how networks emerge, what they look like, and how they evolve." With meticulous care, he presents "a Web-based view of nature, society, and business, a new framework for understanding issues ranging from democracy on the Web to vulnerability of the Internet and the spread of deadly viruses." Along the way, Barabasi challenges the concept of "The Random Universe," asserting instead that everything is connected to everything else. He devotes most of his book to explaining the significance of that global interconnectedness to business, science, and everyday life.

As a non-scientist, I am unqualified to comment on much of the material which Barabasi shares. Perhaps he wrote this book for non-scientists such as I who nonetheless struggle to understand what Barabasi characterizes as the "mystery of life" which begins with the intricate web of interactions and thereby integrates the millions of molecules within each organism. "The enigma of the society starts with the convoluted structure of the social network....[For that reason] networks are the prerequisite for describing any complex system, indicating that complexity theory must inevitably stand on the shoulders of network theory. It is tempting to step in the footsteps of some of my predecessors and predict whether and when we will tame complexity." Given all that has been accomplished thus far with regard to disentangling the networks following the discovery of scale-free networks, Barabasi concludes, "Once we stumble across the right vision of complexity, it will take little to bring it to fruition. When [in italics] that will happen is one of the mysteries that keeps many of us going."

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Mark Buchanan's Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Science of Networks, Stanley Kaufman's At Home in the Universe: The Search for Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity as well as The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution, Steven Strogatz' Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order, Duncan J. Watts' Six Degrees: the Science of a Connected Age, and Stephen Wolfram's A New Kind of Science.

I probably should add Ed Regis' The Info Mesa: Science, Business, and the New Alchemy on the Santa Fe Plateau. Regis devotes almost all of his attention to individuals and events who and which, over several decades, had a profound impact on essentially the same subjects as those discussed in the books previously recommended. Also, Regis examines in much greater detail than do the other authors how core concepts about networks and their complexity were introduced to the commercial marketplace by various entrepreneurs.

Great explanatory power!
Nowadays, everybody talks about networks. Yet, what networks really are and how they function, often remains rather vague in conversations. This book offers great insight into the evolution, the structure and the relevance of networks. The author, Albert Barabási, himself a creative and important contributor to network science, makes the rapid and fascinating advances made in this field comprehensible.

Our world is filled with complex networks, webs of highly connected nodes. Not all nodes are equal, however. In fact, in many real-world complex networks, there is a typical hierarchy of nodes (called a POWERLAW DISTRIBUTION). This means there are a few extremely well connected nodes (these are called HUBS), there are quite a few moderately connected nodes and there are large numbers of tiny nodes (having very few connections to other nodes). The Internet, for instance, has only several hubs - like amazon.com and Yahoo - and countless tiny nodes -like my own website :-(.

The structure of networks with a powerlaw distribution is called a SCALEFREE TOPOLOGY. Such a scale free topology is found in networks that 1) are GROWING (extra nodes and links emerge), and 2) are characterised by PREFERENTIAL ATTACHMENT (this means that some links are far more likely to get linked than others). Preferential attachment, is driven by two factors: 1) the number of links the node already has (this is in fact the first mover advantage: a nodes that has been there since the early development of the network gets the biggest chance to get connected), and 2) the node's fitness (for instance a new website offering a truely unique service has an excellent chance to get many links).

A fascinating characteristic of scale free networks is the following. The density of the interconnectivity paradoxically creates two properties at the same time: 1) ROBUSTNESS (removing nodes will not easily lead to the breakdown of the network, precisely because of the fact that all nodes are connected. Only simultaneous removal of the largest hubs will break down the network), and 2) VULNERABILITY TO ATTACK (because of the fact that all nodes are indirectely connected to each other failures, like viruses, can very easily spread through the whole network. This phenomenon is called 'cascading failures'.

Reading this book made me realise that the recently acquired knowledge about networks is revolutionizing many fields of science, like biology, medical science and economics. Also, the practical applications will be numerous, like protecting the internet, fighting terrorist networks, finding a cure for cancer (!), and developing new organizational forms.

A complex world in simple words
This is an excellent book. The author is extremely able to explain difficult concepts about complex systems in a simple and precise manner, using examples from a variety of domains. The richness of applications -- ranging from spread of epidemics to the internet-- is the first strength of the book and of the theory of scale free networks that appear to be a very promising and original tool to understand the web of interactions of complex systems. The second strength is the clarity of writing: a rarity in the scientific world. This book is an example of good writing with the objective of being understood and making science accessible.

A captivating read
I first heard the author speak on NPR. Not only was I enthralled with his intelligence and clarity of thought, I was captivated by the promise of a new perspective on the connectedness of all things, from the sizes of stars in a galaxy to the revolution in internet search engines to the biology of the cell. This book delivers on that promise with insight, wit and style.

Reduction to nodes and links
Albert Barabasi presents the lay reader with a stimulating description of the origins of network theory and recent applications. He describes random networks, small world and scalefree networks. In nonrandom networks the importance of hubs is emphasized. Small world networks are the ones with a well defined averge number of links, and in scalefree ones the density of links scales as a power law. For the many interesting examples discussed, I would like to have seen graphs showing scaling over at least three decades in order to be convinced of scaling. However, in practice, whether a network scales or not may not be so important. I liked best the discussions of terrorism, AIDS, and biology. If one could locate the hubs, then a small world network could be destroyed, but as the author points out there is no systematic method for locating the hubs. Also, destroyed hubs in a terror network might be replaced rather fast, whereas airline hubs could not be replaced so quickly. The book might be seen as indicating a starting point to try to develop a branch of mathematical sociology. For example, the maintainance of ethnic identity outside the Heimat is discussed in terms of networking. Now for a little criticism.

I did not find the discussion of ‚the rich get richer' very helpful because network theory at this stage deals only with static geometry, not with empirically-based dynamics. In fact, the dynamics of financial markets have been described empirically accurately without using any notion of networking. In the text the phrase „economic stability" is used but stability is a dynamic idea, and there is no known empirical evidence from the analysis of real markets for any kind of stability. The absence of dynamics on networks means that complexity is not described at all: there is nothing complex about the geometry of a static network! Suggesting that cell biology can be described by networking is empty so long as dynamics are not deduced from empirics. Nonempirical models of dynamics will probably not be of much use for making advances in understanding or treating cancer, e.g. Everything we know about cell biology and cancer was discovered via reductionism, by isolating cause and effect the way that a good auto mechanic does in order to repair a car.

Unfortunately, the author lets his enthusiasm get the best of him when he proclaims „laws of self-organization" and the need to go beyond reductionism. First, there are no known laws of „self-organization". The only known laws of nature are the laws of physics and consequences deduced from the laws, namely, chemistry and cell biology. Worse, every mathematical model that can be written down is a form of reductionism. Quantum theory reduces phenomena to (explains phenomena via) atoms and molecules. All of chemistry is about that. Cell biology attempts to reduce observed phenomena to DNA, proteins, and cells. Believers in self-organized criticality try to reduce the important features of nature to the equivalent of sandpiles. Network enthusiasts hope to reduce phenomena to nodes and links. In order to try to isolate cause and effect, there is no escape from reductionism of one form or another, holism being an empty illusion. So I did not at all like the assertion on pg. 200 that globalization (via deregulation and privatization) is inevitable, because there is no law that tells us that it is.

Summarizng: there is no complexity without dynamics, there are no known „laws of self-organization", and reductionism is the only hope for doing science. Anyone who disagrees with this is welcome to explain to me and others the alternative (jmccauley@uh.edu). ... Read more

Book Description

* Offers a readable, thorough overview of basic aerodynamics, with numerous discussions of aviation history and development
* Includes new coverage of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and illustrations to help explain the material
* More than a dozen "design boxes" draw the reader's attention and illustrate the practical applications ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent Aerospace Engineering Reference
This excellent book is full of examples and equations to help students relate to the fundamental concepts in an introductory aerodynamics class.

The book is especially useful for reference, as it explains the derivations and many forms of complex equations such as the continuity equation. Furthermore, there are lots of examples of real-world design situations and historical backgrounds.

Overall, one of the best books I have used in my undergraduate aerospace engineering curriculum.

Excellent book!
Great book for first and second semester aerodynamics. Especially the sections on supersonics and hypersonics. Links the technical and historical aspects of aerodynamics to give a very good global perspective of the subject. Anderson also provides "roadmaps" which tend to help the reader stay on track as to where the discussion is going. Those are especially helpful for technical books such as this one.

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics
This book is one of the best written books I have. This book is well-organized, clearly written and easily understood. Each chapter contains a road map to keep the reader well aware of the proper flow of ideas and concepts.

A start for every aeonautics/aerospace engineer student
This book with the the book "Computational Fuid Dynamiscs"of the same author, is a very strong tool for every student interested ion the field of aerodynamics and CFD. Very easy to read and understand, without any doub is the best book in the field that i have ever read.

Looking for "Basical Publications" in Aero: Found one
This book covers all the aerodynamics a basic research engineer in aerodynamics would like to know. From non viscous to viscous and from subsonic to hypersonics. boundary layer and schockwave theories all included. Every part starts clearly with a nice outline the book will follow to come to the desired theorie. We use it for our doctorate program at Delft Aerospace, Delft University of Technology. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A great text for the motivated student
I am a junior in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell and used this textbook for a Thermodynamics course third semester. I thought it was organized well, written clearly and at an appropriate level, and enjoyable overall (though demanding at times). I think the reason some people have given this book such poor reviews is that it makes you think and really requires you to put time into solving problems. So, chances are you can handle the technical aspects, but the nature of thermo seems to make it difficult the first time around for some (myself included). If you know calculus, basic physics, and are willing to actually try to understand the text/reasoning/formulas/examples and do the problems though, you will probably agree that this book is incredible.

A College level book
Warning, this book is a college level Thermodynamics book written for students who are pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As one reviewer pointed out, this book, unfortunately, will force you to think and will not simply provide you with the formulas necessary to solve all the problems in the back. I purchased this book as a supplement to the required text for the thermo course I was taking. I found it extremely helpful in filling in the gaps left by my text with many thorough example problems. I have recommended this book to our faculty as a replacement to our current text.

Cengel4 or MoranShapiro5? A matter of taste only!
To all eng thermo learners: i did an intensive comparison of Cengel4 and MoranShapiro5 whenever on the john. Sonntag6 was out-of-race: book really bad (in comparison to the two in question), so let's not talk about it any further. So the remaining top-sellers, they are *the* most widely-used most popular intro texts (the very first two semesters on thermo for engineering students) available; very comprehensive (~800pages) and extremely modern in didactics, layout, and content presentation. No wonder that they are the two best-sold intro texts. Question: which is better?
Results: Both are 100% equally top choices (and 95% equal in teaching text) and in the end it s only a matter of taste and peripheral preferences. My personal peripheral preference would be the "Which one s the better deal (US $)?". Well, MoranShapiro5 is a little harder to read (it uses one colour only: pics, drawings, and images all in GREEN, aarrgh!) and not as nicely layout as Cengel4. But text is a little more detailed and the examples are much longer, and a bit harder and thus more detailed too! Number of examples seems to be higher too (!?) ("So, if you re not a dummie (=total beginner), go for S/M as text and ref!"). Furthermore, the WileyInternationalEdition comes in HARDCOVER whereas the McGraw-HillInternationEdtion comes in PAPERBACK. Both books feature a student book companion site or online learning center. The Wiley book site has the fantastic "ThermoNet"-website, and instructors will find digitized solutions to all text problems. The McGraw-Hill book site does not offer much neither to the student nor to the instructor. Textwise, Cengel *is* better. Easier to read, grasp, learn, and understand. And apply ("So, the best thermo book for dummies is Cengel!"). VERY VERY nice layout, VERY attractive and fun to work with. An enjoyable reading. A bit more fun than Moran's. But as explained, all in all the better deal would be MoranShapiro5. Moran's text is the more serious one: useful as text *and* reference. Cengel's book-for-dummies is very useful for total beginners and poor learners. Well, if you *now* begin to complain that neither Cengel's nor Moran's book pleases you, then you wont find any other good intro tome ('picture book'). These two intro tomes *are* the best, there are no better on the market. Choose one of the two, or dont buy any intro text on eng thermo! If you dont like these two books because eng thermo is too hard for you, then please have a close look at Octave Levenspiel's intro text "Understanding Engineering Thermo". This might be the best to start with then. For you.

An Excellent Thermodynamics book
I highly recommend this text. I have used it for many years now and it is as complete and concise as can be. Moran and Shapiro have done an excellent job in developing this text. The concept explanations are concise and technical. The theory is extremely well developed and clearly presented. This book is similar to Incropera's Heat Transfer texts with respect with the theory development and explanations. If you want a book that does more than show you how to do a problem this book is for you. Not only does it show you how, but it tells you WHY. An excellent book!

Read Reviews Carefully
I used this text in undergrad thermo and as a reference in grad school and thought that it was a satisfactory book. I don't think that it is a spectacular book, but I was surprised by the negative reviews posted about the book. Thermodynamics can be a frustrating undergraduate course and is often used as a "weed out" course by mechanical engineering departments. Some of the reiviews for this book seem to be written by bitter students who couldn't handle thermo. I encourage shoppers to weed through these reviews when considering buying this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, 6/e, presents comprehensive coverage of the subject of thermodynamics from a chemical engineering viewpoint. The text provides a thorough exposition of the principles of thermodynamics and details their application to chemical processes.The chapters are written in a clear, logically organized manner, and contain an abundance of realistic problems, examples, and illustrations to help students understand complex concepts.New ideas, terms, and symbols constantly challenge the readers to think and encourage them to apply this fundamental body of knowledge to the solution of practical problems.

The comprehensive nature of this book makes it a useful reference both in graduate courses and for professional practice. The sixth edition continues to be an excellent tool for teaching the subject of chemical engineering thermodynamics to undergraduate students. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Useless
Ok, so i am a chemical engineering student, and this is supposed to be the textbook. Which allegedly would later on make it a forced reference for a student. However, the only useful information is the steam tables, because the properties and other things are insufficient, trust me, the book has sitted on my shelf unused for a year and a half. I have not sold it because no one here would buy it. The explanations are poor. If you want to know about thermodynamics, this is really not your book, I would rather recommend a Fisicochemistry book.

As for properties tables and the such, well, the information you are really going to use is all summed up in the Chemical Engineer's Handbook, which is a must for any ChE, even if you're just a student (believe me, it has saved me a lot of times).

Old, outdated classic cant compete with modern thermo books!
Although the book is totally introductory, it does *not* serve well to teach you something. Contents, concepts, structure, didactics, writing style and layout are more than obsolete: this text is the worst US-textbook on thermo ever (engineering thermo/chemical thermo/chemical engineering thermo), believe me! If you do not share my opinion, then it must be due to your absolute ignorance regarding this field or your pretended incompetence. This book is neither worth buying, owning, working with, nor looking at. Do not waste your time with this superficial and totally introductory, conveying-nothing text. The reason why this has been a best-seller from the late 1940's to the late 1980's (four decades!) is its age: it has been the *very* first, (c)1949, and thus, the most well-known, popular book on chem eng thermo. 'The eldest' is always being respected the most ("a classic"), but this does not mean that a best-selling classic is the best. Forget this outdated title of the (outdated?) McGraw-Hill Chemical Engineering Series and profit from the new fresh look and uptodate, modern approach taken by competitive book series (Wiley, Prentice Hall, Wiley-Interscience, and...McGraw-Hill ;). Smith's 6th edition book is an incredibly poor monograph! And by the way, it is rather a treatment of Engineering Thermodynamics than a treatment of Chemical (Engineering) Thermodynamics!! Since this obsolete classic cannot compete with the new titles, I give a 2-stars rating only. 50 years ago, Smith was the de facto standard intro text (and it remains an "Introducation" throughout the 800 pages!), now this has changed.
Please also read my pos reviews of thermo books by Stanley I. Sandler 1999 (for advanced learners), Noel de Nevers 2002 (for beginners), and Stanley M. Walas 1985 (for workers). For a complete listing of relevant thermo titles have a look at table 8-1, pages 8.2-8.4, in Poling/Prausnitz/O'Connell 5th ed. c2001.

It's complete, easy to read and comprehensive
This book is written specifically for chemical engineers.It covers topics such as EOS for non-ideal multicomponent mixtures, chemical reaction thermodynamics and thermodynamics of solutions. I suggest it to everyone who have trouble with this course.

Poorly edited out of date
They just keep adding to this book without removing or editing old material. The book has become a chaotic jumble of ideas of the various authors. There are other better books out there.

ok book
Well, I think this book is very informative. Unfortunately it is very boring. But, that just goes with the subj. matter. The one thing that is extremely annoying is the unit conversions table. I think that it could had been placed at a more convinient location (inner front cover) instead of being on pg.651/789. On that note, I'd recomment photocopying the u.c.table when working on the problems. An introductory book to get you started is: Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes (richard m. felder). Great book! ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive text provides basic fundamentals of computational theory and computational methods.The book is divided into two parts.The first part covers material fundamental to the understanding and application of finite-difference methods.The second part illustrates the use of such methods in solving different types of complex problems encountered in fluid mechanics and heat transfer. The book is replete with worked examples and problems provided at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Must have
I learnt CFD on this book. Definitively I give it 5 star, unfortunately I can't give it 6. It covers all the CFD from the beginning to the advance level. You will use it as an undergraduate, graduate, PhD, post doctorate researcher. No kidding. There are some codes, the book contains all the information you need, it is easy to read, never criptic like many others. I suggest you to buy this book without any esitation if you are really wanting to learn and do CFD. There are more specific books on some arguments, say, turbulence, but none is more comprehensive and well written like this one.

Excellent Book
As a researcher working with CFD codes, I found this book very useful. It has algorithms to all types of problems ranging from simple heat or wave equation to Navier-Stokes equations. All the algorithms are well explained and precise. I strongly recommend this book for anyone pursuing CFD.

One of the best CFD books I've ever read!!!
I've read many CFD books, but this is the best one. It is well organized and explained from the fundamental to advanced about the numerical approaches. I recommend this book not only for the beginners but for experts. It is really worth of having this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on the most recent standards from ASHRAE, this clearly written book provides complete and up-to-date coverage of all aspects of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Readers will find the latest load calculation procedures, indoor air quality procedures, and issues related to ozone depletion. Also integrated throughout the book are numerous worked examples that clearly show you how to apply the concepts in realistic scenarios. A CD-ROM containing five computer programs is included to help with calculations and simulations. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

6 th edition due July 2004
6th edition updates with useful tables...cost may not be much different...perhaps worth the wait. Check the publishers book store for more information.

Excellent HVAC Book
This is an excellent HVAC text. The concepts are clearly explained and well developed. The references in the book are current with ASHRAE standards which is of utmost utility and importance. The minor drawback from the text is the simplicity of the examples; fortunately the excellent explanation and development of the concepts by the authors helps in overcoming this small flaw. Excellent book overall. I highly recommend it.

Used it as a Quick referernce book for HVAC course
This book is a good source for determining all the design needs for HVAC systems from calculating the heating /cooling load to duct design and fan selection which is essential to assure an economical, energy-efficient, maintainable and flex design that will only not be technically adequate but also meet the user within the allocated budget. I consider this book a key to get in the HVAC industry and a reference for HVAC study courses. ... Read more

Book Description

With an emphasis on computer techniques of analysis, this book presents the theory, computational aspects, and applications of vibrations in as simple a manner as possible.This text gives expanded explanations of the fundamentals of vibration including history of vibration, degree of freedom systems, vibration control, vibration measurement, and more.For engineers and other professionals who want a clear introduction to vibration engineering. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Not a good text
This book in my opinion is not the one to enjoy the beauty of the subject and mechanics in general. There is a vast amount of material amassed but the structure of the book is poor.
It seems being overburden with details and particulars and lacking unified clear consistent approach. In addition some mistakes are just plain annoying. If one wants to be serious about vibrations - do not sweat over this book. It can be just another somewhat usefull reference book to find some particular solution to for some particular problem.
Instead one can study mechanics with beautifully written classical L.Meirovitch, "Fundamentals of Vibrations" which is much more original, rigorous, clear, usefull and serious book to have.

Poor Book
I used this textbook for my Mechanical Vibrations course and was very displeased with it. My biggest gripe is the lack of examples in each chapter. There are an abundance of homework problems at the end of each chapter, but the vast majority of them are not illustrated at all in example problems. I noticed this immediately in Chapter 1 when attempting to solve several of the problems. The text also develops equations and formulas without detail and explanation. Luckily my teacher developed the eqations in class lecture and provided the majority of information for the course. While working out homework and test problems that were assigned, the book was of little use for me. I think the clarity of writing could be better, as well. By the way, I got an A in the course and still found the book to be poor.

Not Happy Teaching From This Text
I recently used this as a text to teach Vibrations to Mechanical Engineering seniors after Vibration Analysis by Vierck went out of print. I was attracted to Rao's book because much of the presentation is similar to Vierck. After using this text for one semester, I was not satisfied. I was particularly concerned by Chapter 2 where the fundamentals of damped single degree of freedom systems are covered. This Chapter is critical to building the foundation of Vibration Theory and I was disturbed to find that two critical plots, the time history comparison of responses with various damping levels and the phase plane plot for the same cases were seriously incorrect. While errors always can be found in texts, these plots were so obviously wrong at first glance that I wondered how a book with 29 reviewers (as listed in the Acknowledgements) has such glaring errors. As I progressed through the text I found a number of other errors including incorrect equations in some places. I also found that some material, emphasized in Vierck, that I consider important was buried in the worked examples rather than being emphasized as part of the book's text. While the book does present a lot of material and gives some interesting problems, I found that I was not comfortable with the text at the end of the course. I have since decided to drop this book from consideration as our text.

Very happy with the book.
This text was used during my senior year for two consecutive mechanical engineering courses I had at Penn State. I found the presentation of the material very thorough and logically ordered. My only issue with the book was when we dug into the first chapter. I was a bit overwhelmed because, although the first chapter is just an overview of vibration, it is very broad, yet detailed. All subsequent chapters were very well focused, easy to follow, and illustrative of important concepts.

I put the book away after graduation, but soon got it out again, finding that it is a wonderful tool in the field... definitely worth it.

Very good for majoring in vobration engineering
This book is very useful for me.

So, helpful my research topic.

It is containing basic of mechanical vibration.

Just, good~ ... Read more

Book Description

The first edition of this leading text helped change the way thermodynamics is taught. The second edition incorporates state-of-the art analyses and practices that have come about since the first edition and strengthens coverage of exergy, thermal design and entropy generation. Like the first edition, it includes an in-depth study of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. ... Read more

Book Description

With plenty of illustrations and examples, this new edition engages students and makes learning the key concepts of thermodynamics both more accessible and enjoyable. Thermodynamicsalso promotes a clearer understanding of the basic principles with its focus on a physical, intuitive approach rather than a heavily mathematical one. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Strength and Weakness
Strength:
1)Introduces Thermodynamic in a understandable manner
2)All homework problems are engineering-related, allowing better grasp of knowledge
3)Helpful example problems with great illustrations and step-by-step explanation
4)There's a chapter summary of equations and conception throughout the book. This is great for test preparation.
5)Vivid analogies to convey abstract concepts such as entrophy, enthalpy, and exergy.
Weakness:
1)The book mainly covers Classical rather than statistical thermodynamics, which mean students in chem, physics, and chem engineering will not be fully prepared for future courses in thermodynamics

Overall, this is very good way to start thermodynamics, especially if this is the first time encountering thermo. However, if to continue to take more thermo, this book focuses main on engineering rather than other disciplines.

Good intro to engineering thermodynamics
I have used this textbook for my engineering thermodynamics class and have found it to be a very interesting and straightforward text. Cengel and Boles begin with the basics and build up to more advanced topics. The problems in this text are challenging and reinforce concepts learned in previous chapters. Answers are included with some of the problems so that you can compare your answers when you finish. Examples are numerous and generally very helpful. However, this text has its drawbacks. The notation in the examples can be confusing and sometimes don't make mathematical sense. In addition, Cengel and Boles have a number of mistakes in the answers they provide. Despite these detractors, I definitely recommend this text for anyone wanting a solid introduction to engineering thermodynamics.

Great Thermodynamics Book for Engineers
This text is a great resource for thermodynamics. It's presentation of thte material is the most straight-forward I have read.

stattarg
this tes ... Read more

Book Description

Molecular Driving Forces is an introductory statistical thermodynamics text that describes the principles and forces that drive chemical and biological processes. It shows how the complex behaviors of molecules can result from a few simple physical processes, and a central theme is how simple models can give surprisingly accurate insights into the workings of the molecular world.

Written in a clear and reader-friendly style, the book gives an excellent introduction to the subject for novices. It should be useful to those who want to develop their understanding of this important field, seeing how physical principles can be applied to the study of modern problems in the chemical, biological, and materials sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Want to understand the physics if life? Need to read this!
The topic of this book, the physical chemistry of molecules, especially those relevant to biology, is one of the most challenging courses to a college student in chemist. But these authors have tried to make it easy for you - and they succeed. They used figures, pictures and analogies to help you to understand some of the most sophisticated concepts in science. For example entropy. The authors are leading researchers in the field and they brought a unique perspective to the subject; the writing is very lucid. ... Read more

Book Description

For the past three decades, Sonntag, Borgnakke, and Van Wylen's FUNDAMENTALS OF THERMODYNAMICS has been the leading textbook in the field. Now updated and enhanced with numerous worked examples, homework problems, and illustrations, and a rich selection of Web-based learning resources, the new Sixth Edition continues to present a comprehensive and rigorous treatment of classical thermodynamics, while retaining an engineering perspective.

The text lays the groundwork for subsequent studies in fields such as fluid mechanics, heat transfer and statistical thermodynamics, and prepares students to effectively apply thermodynamics in the practice of engineering. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This book sucks
This book is so hard for an undergrad to understand , dont buy this book. There are many others that are much better. Teachers like it because it has a lot of problems to solve but these guys could not describe how to turn out a light and make it understandable. I would recommend Cengal and Boles over this rag.

Excellent!!
This is one really good book on Thermodynamics...ideal for self study.The fundamentals have been explained lucidly and never do the authors obfuscate the presentation with needless information.The treatment of both the first and second law is great....this is one textbook wherein the concept of entropy has been explained very well,both from a mathematical and a physical view point.As pointed out by an earlier reviewer,the book is a bit short on example problems,but again,there are a number of great exercise problems which test our understanding of the subject...the authors have done a great job in according a physical insight into this most interesting field-something I was'nt able to get from other texts..
Go Get it..specially if you are an undergrad wanting to learn up some thermodynamics!!

Intro Students beware
I had the misfortune to have this book for my introduction to Thermodynamic during second year Mechanical Engineering. The problem my classmates and I had with this book was the fact that there are FAR to few examples, and less than half the end-of-the chapter questions had answers; which is essential when learning new material (how are you to know if your doing it right?).

It will be my table book
I am the professor of Thermodynamics in the Faculty of Mechanical and
Electrical Engineering Damascus University. I didn't read the
whole text of the book yet, but I skimmed the unread chapters
through. I decided to make it my table book and read it carefully,
because I concluded that the book is valuable and will help me in
teaching the course of thermodynamics to my students.

Advantages of
the book:

-Inclusive scientific content for undergraduate
level,

-Four preparatory chapters,

-Attractive, easy and
understandable text and illustrations (figures),

-A lot of examples
which are perfectly inserted into the text,

-Large amount of
problems follow every chapter,

-Comprehensive appendix and
comprehensive table of contents.

Disadvantages:

-Chapter 11 (power
and refrigeration systems) dose not contain a paragraph specified for
ideal dual cycle of internal combustion engines, which is a common
cycle, special cases of which, are Diesel and Otto cycles. All modern
Diesel engines work according to dual cycle.

- chapter 11 and the
scientific material before it, but following definitions of entropy
and Ts diagram dose not contain a paragraph about the graphical
comparing of thermal efficiencies of ideal heat engines'
cycles. Such paragraph would activate the analyzing of power systems.

Dr. Moufid Hilal

...
END