Book Description

Second edition of classic reference offers overall summary and bibliography of experimental techniques and a balanced treatment of both theoretical and practical aspects of ESR instrumentation. Includes coverage of enhancement techniques, helices and acoustic spin resonance; how to build and use ESR spectrometer. References. 411 text figures. 1982 edition.
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Book Description

Developed by well-known electronics author Louis Frenzel, Principles of Electronic Communication Systems offers the most up-to-date coverage of the rapidly changing communications field. Appropriate for use in a one- or two-semester course, this text offers everything needed to prepare students to work in the increasingly complex communications industry of the 21st century. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Communications Book
When I started looking for a backup book for my communications class, Ichecked out the books at the library.Found this one and had to order itfor myself.This book covers details, so anyone with a electricalengineering introduction can understand.

Frenzel starts out byexplaining baseband and broadband signals and what types of signals areusually carried on what frequencies.I like that he explains whymodulation and carriers are needed and how transmission are affected.Thisis the first book I have seen to explain reason behind operations onsignals.Frenzel uses plenty of examples and explainations of operationsperformed for each type of modulation.The first few chapters are aboutthe types of modulations and why those modulations are used in particularareas.Then Frenzel explains the process for AM, FM, and PM and givesexample problems.

Compared to the Couch communications book "Digitaland Analog Communications", if you have to get Couch, get Frenzel's asa reference and study guide.You'll never regret it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Agree with Prior Reviewer
I cannot quite honestly give this book (*first* edition, not second) a full five-point-zero stars because it somewhat comes apart the closer one gets to the final chapters. I read this book a few years ago, so I apologize for lack of specificity. However, I completely agree with the prior reviewer who stated that this book is better than Kunz's and Luebbers' book, which I appears to be a slightly edited compilation of previous publications --- even if that is completely untrue. In fact, in my opinion, Taflove's book (again, first edition) is a *much* better textbook than Kunz and Luebbers.

The Book News review is somewhat misleading. Taflove derives the difference equations in full, painstaking detail. (Perhaps the Book News reviewer fell asleep during that portion.) For me, this was the most valuable and educational portion of the book. Example applications have their place, but only after understanding the basic principles. Taflove did an excellent job in describing these principles, which go far beyond the basic Yee algorithm (e.g. extrapolation techniques and incorporation of BC's). Those readers familiar with other FD books should understand what I'm saying here: Anyone who reads this book and understands it will not only be conversant about FDTD but should also be able to write solid working codes. With the K&L book, this is very questionable.

A good overview of FD-TD method
A good intro book for the FD-TD method with many applications. The list of references at the end of each chapter is also very useful. Some of the material is now outdated and needs corrections, but otherwise a great reference for CEM. I would recommend this book over the Kunz & Luebbers FD-TD book. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

good but not complete
I am using this book for my electromagnetics course and it has good explanation of some concepts.It does not cover anything about Smith chart or even give an introduction to transmission lines and i think it is important to have these topics in the text.But for this shortcoming the book is well organised and has a large number of problems at the end of the chapter for practice. I recommed this book to all students for their introductory course ,provided they have strong background in calculus

Excellent Book for Electromagnetism Fundamentals
I think this book does a better job of providing a handle on the vector nature of E&M than virtually any other textbook out there. Very often you'll see other authors reduce integrations to scalar equations without showing you the steps involved (dot or cross products), but Inan uses vectors consistently. You will be amazed at how this alone improves your grasp of the material. The rigor and completeness of the coverage are far better than any of the other engineering E&M books, and his willingness to plug in numbers to make some practical calculations is very welcome in comparison with pure physics treatments like Jackson's. The guy above says that waveguides are not covered in detail in this book, and this is true, but the second book in the series (Electromagnetic Waves) covers waveguides and reflection, refraction, transmission, etc. in great detail.

The purpose of this book is to provide you with solid fundamentals in transmission lines and the application of Maxwell's equations, and it succeeds admirably.

A book with faults and limitations
The biggest disappointment about this book is the use of the same r throughout the book for the distance to the z-axis in the cylindrical coordinate system and for the distance to the origin. This is not only confusing but also can lead to wrong results. The advantage of discussing transmission lines (a third of the book) before electromagnetic fields is debatable. The electromagnetics part covers only waves at normal incidence and rudimentary treatment of parallel-plate and coaxial lines. No rectangular or circular waveguides, or antenna systems, or other engineering applications are discussed. Why then is the title "Engineering Elecrtromagnetics?" The authors' presentation and the book format are, in general, good. ... Read more

Book Description

The new edition of Electronic Principles provides the clearest, most complete coverage for use in courses such as Electronic Devices, Linear Electronics, and Electronic Circuits.

It's been updated to keep coverage in step with thefast-changing world of electronics. Yet, it retains Malvino's clear writing style, supported throughout by abundant illustrations and examples. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

I still use Malvino twenty-plus years later
Electronic Principles, Second Edition, was my textbook in college in the late-70's/early 80's. It was great then, and it's great now. I updated my library with the Sixth Edition a few years ago and I feel just as rewarded as I had when I first learned the subject through the Second.

I design electronic circuits sporadically -- I'm mainly a programmer and writer by trade -- and I need periodic reminders of the theory and math involved in designing and solving circuits. Malvino was and continues to be my main source, along with The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill and Calculus for Electronics by Richmond.

Thank you, Dr. Malvino!

An excellent book - albeit only for the beginner
To begin with, this book is amazing. The basics have been explained very well in this book. Ok, so it lacks in the more advanced level analysis. However this book cares to explain details which many other books such as Boylestad would just consider for granted leaving readers in the lurch - not that Boylestad is a bad book, its good too. What I'd suggest for an undergrad student, is that they first read from this book and then move on to higher level books - books that include more mathematical analysis and problems. This is how I did it and frankly I owe everything to this book. The book will serve as a lifelong reference book. Its a masterpiece.

The best book on Electronic basics
I do not know what Dr. malvino wanted to do? Teach Electronics to kids? Because this is what the book is truly capable of doing. Indeed this is a must read for any Electronic student and professional alike to learn/improve the concepts of electronic. To understand the basic concepts of Electronics is no easy task. But with this book it will be. The design is first class with easy fluid language and the explanation is done with detailed simplified diagrams as well as good examples.
I am a process engineering student and truly, without this book (sixth edition) understanding the remaining part of my course would be quite a task.
In the book Mr.Malvino (who is a Phd by the way) starts with the very basics of electronics (Norton theory, semiconductors diodes etc.) and progresses with transistors in detail and moves through Op-Amps and FETs and MOSfETS and ends with power sources.

Each chapter starts with the objectives (or what you will learn at the end of the lesson), vocabulary, the matter along with mathematical or elctronic exampleswhich are solved and ends with a trouble shooting matter. Following that you get a summary (very handy in your last minute rivisions before exams),some intersting student assignment, job interview questions, more problems to be solved, Critical thinking and trouble shooting problems. Also some facts about electronic and "did you know" sections to interest you and see to it that you never get bored. After completing this entire series, you end up knowing the stuff really well. Truly the best book in learning as far as I know.
So do buy this book and happy learning.

great explanations.. but very basic
some of the explanations (actually.. a lot of the explanations) are amazing.. but the analysis is basic...

he shouldn't use the first (ideal) approximation to show us clipps, clampers, etc. etc...

many times in the book.. the ideal approximation is used... which is only good for troubleshooting...

Builds strong foundation
This text is simply the best. It explains the theory behind semiconductors in a manner that the reader will understand (if he puts his mind to it). The explanations are clear, but the author occasionally simplifies them when they get too 'technical' (as in involving alot of physics & math). The text is also interspersed with appropriate diagrams to illustrate the ideas and concepts explained (it does so very well).

Besides providing the theoratical framework, the author also touches on application and gives advice on troubleshooting.

I feel that the approach taken by the author is suitable for 1st yr electronic students, because it focuses on the CONCEPTS & not just the math portions. After getting the concepts right, the student can then deal with the mathematical aspect more rigorously through the use of intermediate (often terse) texts.
Because intermediate texts are terse, you need a good foundation to understand them, that is why you need to buy this book! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A very good introduction to EM Scattering
An introduction to electromagnetic rough surface scattering in the high frequency domain. Its an old text and there are numerous errors in printing as I found out when using it for research work, but nonetheless a good introduction, its clear and not too advanced in contrast to other texts which seem to thrive on jumping into difficult analysis without preparation. It covers many areas in rough surface scattering and uses both analytic functions for the surface and later a random function approach. The random function approach has now become standard and misses some of the interesting aspects and details in the earlier one eg fractal surfaces etc.

The book after introducing the characteristic aspects of EM scattering then proceeds onto practical engineering aspects such as remote sensing and the like. This was of course brand new at the time, 1963. For a modern review see the book by J.A. Ogilvy "Theory of Wave Scattering from Random Rough Surfaces" which covers the new approaches to the subject since the 60's.

Still an excellent book for the basics of EM scattering although one has to work through some of the results to be certain they are correct.

I need this book it will help in my work
please who have this book can send me a copy I need it for my work and that will help me so much.

my adress is : boutaghane amar 11 rue ahcene khemissa alger 16000 algeria

and my Email is : dris60@hotmail.com

thank you ... Read more

Book Description

Low temperature plasmas have had a very broad range of applications ever since their discovery. However, recent developments in the dextrous handling of dry etching non-equilibrium plasma has attracted a great common interest that has driving force behind the major developments in diagnostic, theoretical, and numerical techniques during the past two decades. A greater fundamental understanding of the kinetics of radio-frequency (rf) plasmas and their interaction with surfaces in regard to the process of large scale integrated circuits has been achieved through the cooperation between academia and industry. At the same time, new applications have become possible, and our recently revealed basic understanding of low temperature rf plasmas has diffused to other areas of plasma physics.

Each chapter of this book is edited in the same form as the article collected in the special issue of Applied Surface Science, which is published in memory of the ... Read more

Book Description

Visualizing Magnetic Fields: Numerical Equation Solvers in Action provides a complete description of the theory behind a new technique, a detailed discussion of the ways of solving the equations (including a software visualization of the solution algorithms), the application software itself, and the full source code. Most importantly, there is a succinct, easy-to-follow description of each procedure in the code.

The physicist Michael Faraday said that the study of magnetic lines of force was greatly influential in leading him to formulate many of those concepts that are now so fundamental to our modern world, proving to him their "great utility as well as fertility." Michael Faraday could only visualize these lines in his mind's eye and, even with modern computers to help us, it has been very expensive and time consuming to plot lines of force in magnetic fields.

* Overview of the physics of magnetic fields
* Complete description of the theory behind the new technique
* Overview of the theory of Gaussian elimination and Conjugate Gradient equation solvers (including a software application to visualise the algorithms in action)
* Application software itself, the full-source code and a plain English description of each procedure in the code ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Electromagnetism CAN be fun!
This book is a delight! If only it had been available during those less than interesting lectures on electromagnetic theory..........

Here, the reader can simulate almost any combination of magnets, conductors and external fields and visualize the result in a number of different ways. So this book and its accompanying software will find use in grade school, universities and industry. The visual impact of the approach used by John Beeteson should prove inspirational to younger students. I would recommend that any teacher involved in this subject should buy this book and try it out.

I have used the software on a W98 notebook computer and on a powerful dual processor NT machine. It works just fine in both cases.

Review of "Visualising Magnetic Fields"
This book provides a no-nonsense introduction to the ideas and concepts of magnetic field visualisation. Electromagnetics is a large and complex field and, as such, can be difficult to obtain an intuitive grasp of. This book presents the basic ideas of magnetic field analysis in a simple and orderly manner with examples to demonstrate the important fundamental concepts. This makes it an ideal companion for more rigourous texts on the subject that go into greater detail where necessary.

The use of numerical analysis tools is widely regarded as essential for more than the simplest of geometries. Frequently these tools require a substantial knowledge in order to be able to apply them to the problem at hand. With the use of the author's visualisation of numerical solvers in action the user is able to understand how the computation process develops in solving in 2D a mathematical representation of the field problem. This understanding is essential if the reader wishes to progress to the more challenging 3D simulation environment, especially for those creating rather than just applying the simulation software.

Overall I found the book useful as a means of introducing the subject and would recommend it to students in their last year of school or as an introductory text in undergraduate studies. In addition to students of Physics and Electrical Engineering, the underlying concepts covered are similar to those for mechanical analysis (stress, strain, distortion) and computational fluid dynamics, including heat flow problems. Thus students in the other Engineering disciplines will find something useful in the book and especially the accompanying software. ... Read more

Book Description

This exciting full-color book is the most comprehensive text book on DC/AC circuits and machines for electrical students on the market today. It provides complete coverage of concepts relating to electrical theory, as well as giving practical how-to examples of many of the common tasks that electricians must perform. The book has been organized so that all relevant information is located within a given chapter, making it easy to access and easy to teach topics in any order. With its visually appealing, easy-to-understand coverage of alternating current theory, and expanded coverage of topics such as transformers and electrical filters, Delmars Standard Textbook of Electricity, 2E continues to set the standard in DC/AC circuits and machines. ALSO AVAILABLE Lab Volt Lab Manual, ISBN: 0-8273-8552-8 Standard Lab Manual, ISBN: 0-8273-8554-4 INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructor's Guide, ISBN: 0-8273-8551-X Lab Volt Solutions Manual, ISBN: 0-8273-8553-6 Transparency Masters, ISBN: 0-8273-8556-0 ... Read more

Reviews (2)

good intro& basics book on electricity and basic electronics
Excellent textbook. Presented in a textbook format with plenty of pictures, easy to read and understand. Linear learning curve. Explains ins and outs of electronics and electricity basics, easy math (no two-page formula derivations!). I found it a great resource for brushing up for my electronics tech certification. Recomend to anyone who wants to know how electricity operates, with references to real life. Straight to the point (thorough basics, and minimum fuss).

A well written text.
I have been using Demar's Standard Textbook of Electricity for the past five years. This book is our primary text for the first three months of a 10 month, 5 days per week, 7 hours per day Industrial Electricity Course. Student feedback is uniformly positive. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

bible of ferroelectricis
this is by far the most detail book on ferroelectric theory and application

The most comprehensive book on the physics of ferroelectrics
The book by Lines and Glass is the most comprehensive book on the physics of ferroelectrics that I have come across in the pertinent literature. It is by no means for the novice since a solid background in solid state physics is absoluytely needed. The book especially addresses the lattice dynamics picture of ferroelectricity in a concise manner. Also, optical properties of ferroelectrics are given in full depth that is rather difficult to find in many other texts. This book is by no means a textbook. It is very comprehensive reference volume as it contains a lot of critical experimental data and quite a lot of illustrations. Furthermore, the bibliography is vast. All physical models used in the physics of ferroelectricity are derived/summarized from the very first step making the book very "dense" in content. It would characterize the book as somewhat difficult to read, yet I highly recommend it for those who are interested in the physics of ferroelectric phenomena. I do hope that book will be reprinted soon and be available at an affordable price. Addendum: Since the writing of this review, it seems the book has become available again at a much reduced price ;-) ... Read more

Book Description

Inside the Minds: The Semiconductor Industry features leading semiconductor CEOs from Micron Technology, Xilinx, Tvia, Form Factor, Magma, On Semiconductor, Nitronex, Mellanox, Brecis and Cradle Technologies. These industry visionaries share their knowledge on chips, future killer-apps, developing applications, globalization, specialization, vertical and horizontal integration, memory, streaming media, the future of the semiconductor industry and other important topics. An unprecedented look inside the world of the semiconductor industry makes for exciting and highly interesting reading for every level semiconductor and technology professional and anyone interested in the future of semiconductors and how they can take advantage of the opportunities on a personal or professional level.

Praise for Inside the Minds: "True insight from the doers in the industry, as opposed to the critics on the sideline." - Steve Hanson, CEO, On Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN)

"Unlike any other business books, Inside the Minds captures the essence, the deep-down thinking processes, of people who make things happen." - Martin Cooper, CEO, Arraycomm

Inside the Minds (Real World Intelligence From Industry Insiders) was conceived in order to give readers actual insights into the leading minds of business executives worldwide and are written by C-level (CEO, CTO, CFO, CMO, COO) executives from over half of the Fortune 100 companies and other leading executives. Because so few books or other publications are actually written by executives in industry, Inside the Minds presents an unprecedented look at various industries and professions never before available. Each chapter is comparable to a white paper/essay and is a very future oriented look at where their industry/profession is heading. In addition, the Inside the Minds web site makes the reading experience interactive by enabling readers to post messages and interact with each other, read expanded comments on the topics covered and nominate individuals for upcoming books. The Inside the Minds series is revolutionizing the business book market by publishing an unparalleled group of executives and providing an unprecedented introspective look into the leading minds of the business world. Other books include Inside the Minds: The Wireless Industry, Inside the Minds: Venture Capitalists, Inside the Minds: Leading Consultants, Inside the Minds: Leading Accountants, Inside the Minds: Chief Technology Officers and over 30 other topics on leading industries and professions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Highly Insightful
I thought this one of the top 3 books I have ever read on the semiconductor industry. For once, it was very interesting to hear what the actual leaders in industry felt. I would highly recommend this title to both experts and novices in the semiconductor industry-or anyone interested in semiconductors in general.... ... Read more

Book Description

Finite Element Methods For Maxwell's Equations is the first book to present the use of finite elements to analyze Maxwell's equations. This book is part of the Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computation Series. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (7)

Le meilleur livre sur les couscous boulettes
Bref, c'est tres bien sauf que beaucoup d'erreur se sont glisses dans le livre. C'est le probleme principal de ce livre est que l'audience est tres restreinte aux eleves de secondes. J'en appelle donc au serieux de l'auteur pour se relire quand meme.

Il est ecrit que Integrale infinie de la derivee est egale a la fonction identite, non c'est faux. la constante a disparu. Beaucoup d'autres erreurs similaires sont surprenantes.

A perfect introduction
This book is the best introduction to advanced electromagnetic theory I have ever encountered. The author does a masterly job at simplifying the mathematics without over-simplifying the physics. If you're looking to gain a deep understanding of electromagnetics and its relation to the theory of relativity, this book is for you!

Ce livre est un petit chef d'oeuvre
C'est de loin l'exposé le plus clair sur le sujet à ma connaissance. Quant au rapport qualité/prix, on voisine l'infini

Nothing like reading Physics from a Unified Point of View!
Since I've first heard about electricity and magnetism, people always said me that the electric and the magnetic field are nothing less than two sides of the same coin. I really wasn't convinced of that. I've entered at college. Nothing. And I took a (pitiful) undergraduate course on Electromagnetism. Nothing. Not even the Maxwell Equations and the explanation about how they demonstrate the existence of EM waves convinced me. It always appeared that The electric and the magnetic field were two separated things, no matter how much relations between them. I tried even graduate books (say, Jackson), and nothing.

Then, Here comes the light... Schwartz' chapter about electric field and relativity, where he concludes merely from Coulomb law and Lorentz invariance that MUST BE A MAGNETIC FIELD, then comes with the EM Field Strength tensor and derives (also from Lorentz invariance)... the very Maxwell's equations! Unbelievable! Why didn't they tell me this before? Or, why don't they teach EM like this? All this not to mention the section about an insight over determining nuclear shape from electric quadrupole moments, the tensorial form of EM laws, Multipole expansion, all that with a remarkable physical insight that is so rare in EM texts (maybe other exception is Landau's Classical Theory of Fields). I only regret the absence of a Lagrangian-Hamiltonian formulation for EM, Green's functions, and gauge invariance with his properties and how this reflect in the formulation of EM laws. But I believe that these topics can be well covered in Landau's text (I really hope so, so I don't need to rely on the insight-less text from Jackson). After all, the physical unity, simplicity and beauty of Schwartz's book is nearly unbeatable. 5 stars "cum lauda"!

A great physicist and entrepreneur writes on his passion
Melvin Schwartz won the Nobel Prize of physics in 1988 by his experiments (with Leon Lederman and Jack Steinberger) on this most elusive of all physical objects, the neutrino. We must be grateful for the fact that he found time to write this precious little book on electrodynamics. It is a gem . I compare it to the very best expositions: Landau-Lifshitz's "Classical Theory of Fields" and the first chapter of the first edition of Heitler's "Quantum Theory of Radiation" . ... Read more

Book Description

The development of faster and smaller electronic devices leads from microelectronics to nanoelectronics. In nanoscopic or mesoscopic systems quantum effects such as the quantum Hall effect, new electronic transport phenomena and other aspects of electron-photon interactions become important. The physics of mesoscopic systems, the relevant effects and phenomena and new quantum device concepts as well as the formation and characterization of quantum structures are discussed. This is the most comprehensive presentation of the basis and realization of a new and promising concept for future electronic devices. This book is a must for all researchers in this field. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction to the mesoscopic physics!
This is a great introductory book for people who have just entered this field.It explains those deep concepts in rather simple words and formula, but very clear.And it is so well organized you will never get lost whilereading it. ... Read more

Book Description

Jasprit Singh presents the underlying physics behind devices that drive today's technologies utilizing carefully chosen solved examples to convey important concepts. Real-world applications are highlighted throughout the book, stressing the links between physical principles and actual devices. The volume provides engineering and physics students and professionals with complete coverage of key modern semiconductor concepts. A solutions manual and set of viewgraphs for use in lectures is available for instructors, from solutions@cambridge.org. ... Read more

Book Description

An understanding of magnetostriction is important for a range of technologically and scientifically important materials. The book covers bulk and thin film magnetostrictive materials, superconductors and oxides. The role of magnetostriction in determining or influencing the physical properties is discussed in depth and wide-ranging reference lists are provided for further study. Contributors have provided both tutorial material and discussions of leading-edge science.

Readership: An invaluable reference for all condensed matter physicists, material scientists and technologists for whom bulk or thin film magnetic materials or superconductors are central to their interests. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Today's computers are fantastically complex machines, shaped by innovations dreamt up by hundreds of engineers and theorists over the last several decades. Does it even make sense, then, to ask who invented the computer? McCartney thinks so, and in ENIAC: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer, he's written a compelling answer to the question, crediting two relatively unsung Pennsylvanians with what is arguably the most significant invention of the century.

McCartney's heroes are Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, and as he makes clear, there are those who might question the choice. Nobody doubts the pair designed and built ENIAC, the world's first fully electronic computer and a watershed in the history of computing. But for years the importance of their contribution, made during World War II and sponsored by the U.S. Army, has been downplayed. The brilliant John von Neumann's subsequent theoretical papers on computer design have made him the traditional "father of modern computing." And Eckert and Mauchly later even lost the patent on their machine when it was claimed that another early experimenter, John Atanasoff, had given them all the ideas about ENIAC that mattered.

But McCartney's meticulously researched narrative of Eckert and Mauchly's careers--covering the thrilling three years of ENIAC's construction and the frustrating decades of little recognition that followed--sets the record straight. He carefully weighs Atanasoff's claims and gives von Neumann the credit he earned for advancing computer science, but in the end he leaves no room for doubt: if anyone deserves to be remembered for inventing the computer, it's the two men whose tale he has told here so engagingly. --Julian Dibbell ... Read more

Reviews (41)

ENIAC - S. McCartney does a fine job
Scott McCartney has written an excellent counterbalance to the current literature on the invention of the computer. It is a fine contrast to Herman Goldstine's book on the subject. Here, we see a johnny-come-lately view of the great mathematician John von Neumann, a man whose profound insight into the future value of an all-electronic calculating machine gives him the shared title of inventor of computer science (along with A. Turing), not the computer. This book leaves us no doubt, it was Eckert and Mauchly's creation, a plum that many others wanted credit for once it matured. The general purpose electronic computer is fittingly the invention of an electrical engineer (Eckert) and a visionary physicist (Mauchly). This is also a good resource on the entry by women into the world of computers. I was only disappointed that McCartney did not include a bit more of the technical, engineering details about ENIAC, and its comparison to the COLOSSUS, perhaps in an appendix.

Worthy Effort, but Not the definitive work on subject
This is a book that needed to be written, and Scott has made it clear that John Mauchly and Pres Eckert did invent and build the first electronic computer. He does describe in rational details the betrayal of John and Pres by Herman Goldstine and John von Neuamnn. Both deserve a place in the history of the development of computers, but their ambitions overreached their accomplishments. Herman saw the value of their idea for an electronic computer and did sell the idea to Aberdeen to back it and pay for it. Penn professors wanted nothing to do with what they felt to a man would be a failure. Johnny von Neumann never even heard of it until its design was frozen and the machine was nearly built. Although he was a consultant to Aberdeen, nobody told him about ENIAC because its backers also felt it would probably flop. Herman informed him of it on a railroad platform and invited him to come see it. Von Newmann was immediately captivated by it. When told meetings were already underway for a successor machine called the EDVAC (Electronic Digital Automatic Computer) he asked to join them. They met every couple of weeks. One time, von Neumann said he wouldn't be at the next meeting because he was also a consultant to Los Alamos and was needed there. One day, Goldstine came in with what appeared to be minutes of the EDVAC meetings sent back by von Neumann. EDVAC was a classified project and Herman was the security officer. Pres and John were not allowed to publish articles on either the ENIAC or EDVAC, but Herman managed to distribute von Neumann's notes widely in government and university circles. Von Neumann's note gave scant recognition to Pres or Joihn or anybody, thus the paper appeared ro be a product of von Newmann's fertile mind. Thus, the mistaken belief that von Neumann invented the stored program computer. EDVAC used a stored program. Imagine, when Pres and John applied for an EDVAC patent, they found that ambitious duo of Johnny and Herman had already applied. When confronted with this duplicity, von Neumann said he did it to ensure that the EDVAC patent would be in the public domain and not be used for commercial purposes. You bet.

Scott struggles hard on the Atanasoff saga. Atanasoff never claimed he invented the computer and nobody ever heard of him until Honeywell dug him up to keep from paying royalties on the ENIAC patent. Much is made of John Mauchly's memory of his association with Atanasoff as recorded at different times. John suffered from a disease called Heriditary Hemoragic Talengetasin (HHT) which causes lesions to be formed in the brain and holes in the lungs. One of the interviews was taken shortly after he had had an episode and had been very ill in the hospital. It is no wonder he couldn't remember incidentrs then that he could remember when he was in better health.

Now, to what is really wrong with the book. Scott did not grasp the environment in which events took place. Like a college term paper he relies on what has already been written and he has picked up errors from earlier books written by Nancy Stern. He is weak technically and can neither resist or recognize idiotic statements. Such as, BINAC had 512 bits of memory when in fact, it had 512 30-bit words of memory He didn't think it was impossible to program the trajectory of a Snark missle in 512 bits of menmory. He says the ENIAC was very personal and one could snuggle up to it. AsS one of the first ENIAC programmers, I state categorically, "That is idiotic." Also, he quotes me as though I had something to do with EDVAC. I had nothing to do with EDVAC. The quotes about Pres are accurate, but they were from the time when i worked with Pres on the design of a backup machine for the first UNIVAC. Pres was afraid the mercury delay line memory might not work so Art Gehring and I under Pres's direction did the logical design of a UNIVAC backup machine that used electrostatic memory. It was microcoded. It was never built. The mercury delay line memory worked. He also uses a description I gave of meetings a group of us had with von Neumann when we turned the ENIAC into a stored program computer. Scot claims the EDVAC meetings were held with the group sitting theater style listening to von Neumann lectured. When Hell freezes over could such meetings have taken place. Pres would never have allowed anyone to take over his meetings on his project. Scott calls Mauchly a journeyman physicist. What the Hell does that mean? Also, he says Mauchly couldn't keep up with von Neumann. I worked with both. Both were brilliant: von Neumann was studiedly gracious, Mauchly was laid back and thoughtful. I could talk about anything with Mauchly. I didn't know von Neumann as well, but I'm sure he also could discuss almost any subject.

Scott takes the position that the judge in the ENIAC patent trial played god and punished Sperry Univac for signing an exclusive cross licensing agreement with IBM. The statute of limitations had run out for fining them for restraint of trade. What he could do was take away the patent so the company couldn't benefit by it. At that time, the computer industry consisted of IBM and the seven dwarves (CDC, Burroughs, Honeywell, NCR, UNIVAC, RCA, & Digital Equipment). The judge may have felt that the dwarves couldn't survive if they had to pay heavy patent royalties.

By far, his worst treatment is that of the BINAC. The BINAC ran for 44 hours without a failure (2 machines ran in tandem and checked each other) in Philadelphia. During the demonstration, a sound system was hooked up to one of the outputs and played music as the numbers being calculated changed. As a joke, one of the engineers rolled out an egg to show it could calculate, play music and even lay eggs. Lighten up Scoot, it was a joke the BINAC didn't really lay an egg. This was the McCarthy ersa and the cold war era. Northrop, who financed BINAC, was run by the missle boys who were paranoid, Eckert-Mauchly's security status was being questioned (probably someone who had something to gain by the company's problem wrote a convenient letter to the right security agency), electronics was mistrusted, and no one knew what it took to keep a computer installation going. Northrop dismantled the BINAC, threw it into crates and shipped it to Californis. A young engineer, who had just graduated from college was hired and taken to a hangar where parts were scattered all over the floor. It was the BINAC and he was told to put it together. The BINAC didn't lay an egg. Those who managed it did. I say it was the first stored program computer. That 44-hour test was run in April, 1949.

I'm glad this book was written.

Unfortunately based on incorrect information
This book, as well as the many tales of the ENIAC, are factually incorrect. This was even proven by a federal judge in the state of Minnesota.

On October 19, 1973, US Federal Judge Earl R. Larson signed his decision following a lengthy court trial which declared the ENIAC patent of Mauchly and Eckert invalid and named Atanasoff the inventor of the electronic digital computer -- the Atanasoff-Berry Computer or the ABC.

Mr. McCartney does a great job of ignoring the facts that were proven in the case,and instead believes the hearsay, and tarnished depositions that were later recanted.

A cautionary tale
This is a brief, enjoyable history of possibly the first programmable, electronic computer (Colossus has its fans, but is less well known). It tells how Mauchly and Eckert together created something truly new in the world - something that, today, we could hardly live without. The historical research is good, the writing is very readable, and the inventors' prescience is almost beyond credibility. That is the first half of the book, a worthy but ordinary piece of the history of computing. The book's second half is where its true value lies.

The second half is filled with grasping incompetents, great men at their pettiest, conspiracy, and bizarre workings of so-called justice. It's about Mauchly and Eckert's trust in the people around them, and in trust violated. It's about the engineer and the scientist, a little naive, trying to hold their own in a world that wants to take it from them.

It's about the ugly part of creativity's contact with greed for reputation and commercial success. It's scary.

This book was suggested to me by a startup entrepeneur, someone who clearly identified with the two inventors. Not much has changed since Mauchly and Eckert's time, except that the legal attacks are more likley and more rapacious. I'm not sure how to read this suggestion. It warns against real dangers of personality politics, but doesn't show any way to defend against those dangers.

It's a good book. I take parts of it very much to heart. Even if the story has no personal meaning for you, it's still a vivid bit of history, it talks about events within living memory, and it shows part of the twnety-first century's origin. I recommend it to any citizen of the modern world.

Fascinating
I found ENIAC to be a fascinating story. It reminded me somewhat of some the characters in "A Beautiful Mind" - and, in fact, the books do overlap in their discussion of the post-War icons of scientific academia.

For those of us who grew up in the industry on the IBM side of things, ENIAC chronicles another force in computer history - the Sperry-Rand dynasty, which today is manifested as Unisys, now a struggling niche mainframe vendor trying to reinvent itself with an industrial-class Windows box.

The latter part of the book focuses on the subterfuge and betrayal visited upon the book's protagonists - Mauchly and Eckert. At first this read like general conspiracy theory stuff, but upon further reflection of my own professional life, where I have seen what some people will do to advance their careers or even qualify for an exam, I realized the story is certainly probable. Von Neumann, Atanasoff, and Brainerd come off as despicable characters, successful in their own right but with reputations forever marred due to their treachery. Mauchly and Eckert's lack of business prowess prevented them from recovering from their detractors' attacks.

In the long run, the injustice done to the duo did further the computer industry by opening up competition, although one can argue that IBM - the juggernaut of the industry - should have been the sole focus of the courts rather than Sperry-Rand.

The book is a quick-read, well-researched, and well-documented. I was hoping it would have been slightly more technical, but all-in-all a good read. ... Read more

Book Description

The articles in this book review recent developments in the microscopic theory of optical and electronic semiconductor properties. Many advances in this active field are intimately related to the work of Hartmut Haug and hiscoworkers. At the occasion of Haug's 60th birthday, a number of current and/or former members of his research team review the current state-of-the-art. Topics include the quantum kinetics of electrons, phonons and photons, coherent optical effects, quantum transport, ballistic motion, microscopic semiconductor laser theory with special emphasis on microlasers, symmetry aspects of laser excited semiconductors, as well as a review of the two-dimensional Wigner crystal in a strong magnetic field. The articles present the material in sufficient detail to be understandable by advanced graduate students and researchers who have a good background in quantum mechanics. ... Read more

Book Description

Thoroughly modernized content and a more logical flow of information are just two of the many enhancements heralded in this completely revamped Seventh Edition.Over 850 updated illustrations and photos clarify the fundamentals of electrical theory for use by electrical students and maintenance technicians alike.Coverage begins with electrical symbols and drawings, current, voltage, resistance, and power.Subsequent chapters examine Ohms law; series, parallel, and combination circuits; and resistive and reactive circuits.Advanced material, including rotating machinery, motor controls, transformers, electronic drives, and PLCs, is also thoroughly discussed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I never read this particular addition
In 1945 I attended a public technical school in Toronto,Ontario,Canada. The earlier additions of this book were the basis of our four year course at that school. The book is a self teacher and can really teach and inprove the knowledge of anyone involved in the industrial electrical world. I became a chief electrical engineer for a major company through the school of hard knocks.This book always had a place on my desk. Each time I went to construction sites and someone would ask about certain technical details of the electrical industry I would always end the conversation with a recomendation to purchace this book. I am sure sorry to understand that the author is no longer with us ,but can understand this as I am 69 years old. Just in case this bit of history would get lost here is where the book started. Naydon worked for esthe ford motor company with another engineer called Gillman and both their names appeared on early edditions of the book. It was used as a training book for electricians who joined the Ford Motor Company. The book coveres a wide range of subjects which every electrician should know if he wants to get ahead. Sure hope this helps electricians and industrial engineers who might consider the purchace of this book ... Read more