Book Description

Beginning with a complete discussion of the fundamentals of dielectric spectroscopy, this book examines in detail the methods used in data modeling and in such specialized techniques as high-frequency dielectric measurements and thermally stimulated currents. The book covers applications in a range of polymeric systems, includings solutions, blends, and liquid crystals. ... Read more

Book Description

Jamming is glassy relaxation under constrained dynamics. This high level book is a collection of reprinted articles in the field from physicists, chemists and engineers working in the area. ... Read more

Book Description

Gamma-ray spectrometry is a key technique in the study of the decay of radioactive materials. Used by scientists from a wide range of disciplines, problems can be encountered by the inexperienced user because there is a deceptive simplicity in gamma-ray measurements which can hide significant pitfalls. To resolve this situation, the authors of Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry have drawn on many years of teaching experience to produce this uniquely practical volume, giving comprehensive coverage of the whole gamma-ray detection and spectrum analysis processes. Discussions of the origin of gamma-rays and the issue of quality assurance in gamma-ray spectrometry are also included. Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry is written with the user in mind and has the following benefits:

• Mathematics are kept to a minimum throughout.
• No previous knowledge of nuclear matters or instrumentation is assumed.
• Detectors and their associated electronic systems are discussed.
• Fault-finding guide ensures that any problems can be sorted out with the minimum of fuss.

Reviews (1)

The essential reference work on gamma spectrometry
Gilmore and Hemingway provide the spectrometer user with the wealth of their years experience in assaying gamma samples. Everything from how to set up a germanium crystal spectrometer, how to calibrate, how to count, and how to document for universal acceptance. This is one-stop shopping for gamma spectrometry...including a comprehensive references list at the end of every chapter that provides the reader with their money's worth from this volume. ... Read more

Book Description

How quantum electrodynamics evolved in the first quarter of the 20th century, revealed here by its creators in 34 papers by Foley, Fermi, Heisenberg, Dryson, Weisskopf, Oppenheimer, Pauli, Schwinger, Klein and other key figures. 29 are in English, three in German, one each in French and Italian. Preface. Historical commentary.
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Reviews (1)

Quantum electrodynamics:meet the heroes!
This is a collection of fundamental papers on quantum electrodynamics, starting from the very first, by Dirac, and going to the paper by G. Kallen showing that at least one of the renormalization constants is infinite (this paper has been called "poetry in quantum field theory"). This is invaluable for the historian, but much more, I think, for the student and, yet more, for the researcher. These days the students learn these things in classroom. This is all right, but it is only in the good pioneering papers that you find the reasons for the choices made, motivations for treating the problem and a full explanation of what is being done and why it would be wrong to follow that other, seemingly much more natural, way. As examples, you'll find here four of the greatest papers by Feynman. If you think Feynman wrote well because you read his popular books, wait till you read his scientific works! There is also the monumental paper by Dyson, where the founding pape! rs of Tomonaga, Schwinger and Feynman are made to coalesce into the beautiful formulation that, afterwards, was repeated in all textbooks. My favorite paper is the great "On gauge invariance and vacuum polarization", by Julian Schwinger, a masterpiece of insight, style, and incredible virtuosity, a paper that still gives rise to original research. The preface by Schwinger is a must for understanding the origin and early development of our main tool in theoretical physics: quantum field theory. ... Read more

Book Description

The first comprehensive treatment of quantum physics to appear in any language, this classic introduction to the basic theory is still highly recommended and still in wide use today as both a text and a reference. 37 figures. 13 tables. Introduction. List of references. Bibliography.
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Reviews (1)

Learnable QED & THE bremsstrahlung treatment.
To be honest, I am trying to learn formal QED, and this text is 'feeding' well. Heitler comes up with the goods..you feel you have actually covered some topic-(rather than some 'lite' or cryptic version). Having said that modern criticisms would be the usage of 'old' vector operations notation (minor taste criticism-you get used to the use of '[ , ]' for vector products for example); and also omission of 'Feynman diagrams'. However the additional material (to the 1934 edition) published in this reprinted 1954 edition gives reference to Feynman and Schwingers work prior to this date.

For THE treatment of quantum bremsstrahlung theory (first approximation), here is the most oft quoted reference (with maybe an option on Kramers 1923 'Bohrian' quantum paper)and arguably the most relevant. A must if only for this. Like most books written around this time in Dovers catalogue, it is well written, readable, and precise in the analysis- skipping math steps where truly reasonable. A gold mine for those of us trying to get to grips with the subject of the title. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Waveguide Reference
I took Inan's class, and first saw this book as a collection of course notes. It was an excellent course, and an excellent set of notes. I purchased the text as soon as it became available. This is my primary reference for Waveguide theory. It does an excellent job treating the fundamentals of waves in a practical format. The text is easy to read, and has many examples. It is a good text to have as a reference and has enough examples to teach (or reteach) yourself.

Solid text for understanding EM waves
Like his other book, Engineering Electromagnetics, this one provides a thorough, pretty rigorous treatment of EM waves. It does well with building on concepts, especially in the first half of the book. There are a lot of problems, and most of them have real-world application in mind. I only wish the slab waveguides sections treated the more general asymmetric case, as opposed to only the symmetric one. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory of magnetic field line reconnection, now a major subject in plasma physics. Biskamp focuses on the various reconnection mechanisms dominating magnetic processes under the different plasma conditions encountered in astrophysical systems and in laboratory fusion devices. The book consists of two major parts: the first deals with the classical resistive approach, while the second presents an overview of weakly collisional or collisionless plasmas. Applications primarily concern astrophysical phenomena and dynamo theory, with emphasis on the solar and geodynamo, as well as magnetospheric substorms--the most spectacular reconnection events in the magnetospheric plasma. The theoretical procedures and results also apply directly to reconnection processes in laboratory plasmas, in particular the sawtooth phenomenon in tokamaks. The book will be of value to graduate students and researchers interested in magnetic processes both in astrophysical and laboratory plasma physics. ... Read more

Book Description

Bridging the gap between electric circuits and electronmagnetics, Ulaby's book leads readers from familiar concepts into more advanced topics and applications. A new, interactive CD-ROM accompanying the book allows users to gain physical intuition about electromagnetics.Earlier and heavier emphasis on dynamics permits coverage of practical applications in communication systems, radar, optics and solid state computers. Chapter titles include Waves and Phasors, Transmission Lines, Vector Analysis, Electrostatics, Magnetostatics, Maxwell's Equations for Time-Varying Fields, Plane-Wave Propagation, Radiation and Antennas, and Satellite Communication Systems and Radar Sensors.For use in the study of electromagnetics. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Average
I am a Senior in EE at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and I used this textbook in an introductory class in Electromagnetics. The equation tables with the relevant variants of parameters are VERY helpful. However, he diverges from simplicity too much. The proofs and derivations of some excessive equations make reading it very difficult. I give it an average rating since the subject can get very complicated very fast. You will learn from it, and so buy it if your instructor tells you to.

Good, but No waveguides
The book is easy to understand and comes with good examples of applications, yet it lacks a chapter in waveguides and it's too simple for two-semesters courses. The newer edition has more problems,and the CD-Rom which are useful.

Good reference but explanations too sparse
This book is a good reference, but it has much to be desired as a textbook for a serious, college-level course in electromagnetics. The derivations leave out too many important details and the explanations of key concepts are sometimes sparse. Furthermore, the approach is primarily mathematical. The book could really be improved if more emphasis was placed on understanding the physics behind EM theory. Overall, I would recommend the book if you are looking for a concise reference book, but I would recommend that you look elsewhere for a thorough introduction to the material.

Very complete, and concise.
This book covers a good amount of material in a very concise and easy to understand way. I have found it very valable even after the class which used it, has ended. Explanations of the derived priciples are clear and it is easy to build upon them to solve more complex problems.

Informative and easy to understand for students
This electromagnetics book was easy to read and understand. Examples were explained well, and tables and graphs were provided to enhance understanding of the text. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This clear, student-oriented text is for upper-level or graduate courses covering basic semiconductor physics, physical descriptions of PN-junction diodes, bipolar junction transistors, and MOS Field-effect transistors.The organizaton is from specific to more general topics with a foundations chapter that reviews critical concepts such as Poisson's Equation, dielectric relaxation, and displacement current. The text progresses toward detailed and often unique coverage: including SPICE modeling of the junction diode, the BJT and MOSFET, ohmic-contact application of the high-low junction, and MOS-capacitance crossover. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

In-depth treatment of bipolar transistors...
Excellent treatment of bipolar junction transistor (BJT) physics in a very tutorial, readable style.Covers many topics in a lucid, intuitive and insightful manner, such as space-charge limited currents, surface recombination velocity, and ohmic contacts, where the discussions are a large cut above other introductory texts.Also covers MOSFETs and PN junctions, but nothing unusual here.There is little information on heterojunctions, optical and microwave devices.Overall, it is the "light" version of an earlier work "Transistors" by Warner and Grung, Wiley, 1983. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good basics, somewhat outdated, but probably best available
This book has been around for a long time. When it first came out, in 1987, it was the best book available. Unfortunately, it has not been updated since then, even though it has been reprinted several times. It has excellent basics for planning and designing a system, but much of the technology illustrated is outdated. With an update, this could be the best book in the field ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents a fresh, original exposition of the foundations of classical electrodynamics in the tradition of the so-called metric-free approach. The fundamental structure of classical electrodynamics is described in the form of six axioms: (1) electric charge conservation, (2) existence of the Lorentz force, (3) magnetic flux conservation, (4) localization of electromagnetic energy-momentum, (5) existence of an electromagnetic spacetime relation, and (6) splitting of the electric current into material and external pieces.

The first four axioms require an arbitrary 4-dimensional differentiable manifold. The fifth axiom characterizes spacetime as the environment in which the electromagnetic field propagates - a research topic of considerable interest - and in which the metric tensor of spacetime makes its appearance, thus coupling electromagnetism and gravitation. Repeated emphasis is placed on interweaving the mathematical definitions of physical notions and the actual physical measurement procedures.

The tool for formulating the theory is the calculus of exterior differential forms, which is explained in sufficient detail, along with the corresponding computer algebra programs. Prerequisites for the reader include a knowledge of elementary electrodynamics (with Maxwell's equations), linear algebra and elementary vector analysis; some knowledge of differential geometry would help. "Foundations of Classical Electrodynamics" unfolds systematically at a level suitable for graduate students and researchers in mathematics, physics, and electrical engineering ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A metric-free approach to Classical Electrodynamics.
This is, in my opinion, the best book available on the foundations of Classical Electrodynamics. Using differential forms, the authors derive the two Maxwell equations (dF=0, dH=J) from four basic axioms in a metric-free approach. Only when two additional axioms are presented, the standard Maxwell-Lorentz theory in vacuum and in matter is developed by taking into account the metric structure of spacetime. Therefore, this framework allows for an almost trivial transition to the curved spacetime of general relativity. Moreover, the electromagnetic excitation H is considered as a microscopic field - whereas, conventionally, only the electromagnetic field strength F is considered as a truly microscopic field. ... Read more

Book Description

An in-depth, up-to-date presentation of the physics and operational principles of all modern semiconductor devices

The companion volume to Dr. Sze's classic Physics of Semiconductor Devices, Modern Semiconductor Device Physics covers all the significant advances in the field over the past decade. To provide the most authoritative, state-of-the-art information on this rapidly developing technology, Dr. Sze has gathered the contributions of world-renowned experts in each area. Principal topics include bipolar transistors, compound-semiconductor field-effect-transistors, MOSFET and related devices, power devices, quantum-effect and hot-electron devices, active microwave diodes, high-speed photonic devices, and solar cells.

Supported by hundreds of illustrations and references and a problem set at the end of each chapter, Modern Semiconductor Device Physics is the essential text/reference for electrical engineers, physicists, material scientists, and graduate students actively working in microelectronics and related fields. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of the BEST BOOKS
This books is realy one of the best books that I had read, before I find it hard to figure out if how a device works. Now, because of this book, I understand how semiconductors do work and their properties. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Chiral Material
Chiral material has interesting properties such as, only Left hand and right hand circularly polarized waves can propagate in chiral medium. And, there have been many researches about the chiral materials. Now, i am going to prepare a thesis about it. That is the reason I want to write a review of that book! ... Read more

Book Description

Thomas Edison stunned America in 1879 by unveiling a world-changing invention-the lightbulb. A decade later, despite having been an avowed opponent of the death penalty, Edison threw his laboratory resources and reputation behind the creation of a very different sort of device-the electric chair. Deftly exploring this startling chapter in American history, Edison & the Electric Chair delivers both a vivid portrait of a nation on the cusp of modernity and a provocative new examination of Edison himself.

Edison championed the electric chair for reasons that remain controversial to this day. In the 1880s, as he feverishly wired Manhattan and other cities with his revolutionary direct-current lines, his bitter rival, George Westinghouse, was undercutting his business with a less expensive alternating-current system.

As the battle for electrical dominance raged, a number of accidental electrocutions caused by alternating current caught the public's attention-none more graphic than the 1889 death of Western Union lineman John Feeks, whose corpse dangled for hours in a tangle of wires in lower Manhattan, to the horror of thousands of onlookers.

The debate over the safety of alternating current peaked just as New York's legislators were seeking a more humane alternative to the gallows. Called on for his expertise, Edison helped persuade state officials to reject the guillotine and lethal injection in favor of electricity. He conducted dramatic tests on animals to determine the deadliest formula and asserted that "it will be so lightning quick that the criminal can't suffer much." But there was a catch: Edison insisted that his own direct current was perfectly safe-only Westinghouse's alternating current could cause certain death in the electric chair.

Was Edison genuinely concerned about the suffering of the condemned? Was he waging a campaign to smear alternating current and boost his own system? Or was he warning the public of real dangers posed by the high-voltage alternating wires that looped above hundreds of America's streets? Plumbing the fascinating history of electricity, Edison & the Electric Chair brings to life an era when the public was mesmerized and terrified by an invisible force that produced blazing light, powered streetcars, carried telephone conversations-and killed. Mark Essig's colorful narrative is thick with surprising twists and vivid details-including Benjamin Franklin's slaughter of turkeys with static electricity, industrial espionage involving letters stolen from a locked office, experts who proposed execution by electric hut or table before settling on a chair, and the gripping story of hatchet-murderer William Kemmler, the first man to die in the electric chair.

With dark humor, original research, and dynamic prose, Edison & the Electric Chair explores America's love of technology and its fascination with violent death, opening a new window on a pivotal moment in American history. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Edison or the Chair?
An interesting book if you are curious about executions. The book has some interesting details about Edison's personal life, but not to much about Westinghouse. Also, the book says very little about Tesla, who's inventions really enabled Westinghouse to overcome Edison's DC power and make AC power todays standard. Still the book is worth while for Edison fans and those who are interested in the history of execution technology.

Can You Be Sure, Once You've Been "Westinghoused"?
I should raise a warning flag to start this review: if you are squeamish, or an animal lover, this book might be a bit too much for you. There are several horrific episodes involving detailed descriptions of botched executions, as well as descriptions of electrocution experiments performed on dogs, calves, and horses. Mr. Essig's intent is not to be sensationalistic. He wants to show us that when Thomas Edison said that death by electrocution would be quick and painless, he was engaging in wishful thinking. (At least to start with. After experiments on animals showed that this form of execution was not an exact science- nobody knew, really, what voltage to use or for how long; nor were they sure of how electricity killed - he may have stooped to being disingenuous. Edison thought alternating current was dangerous, plus he didn't like George Westinghouse. Westinghouse kept infringing on Edison's patents. Edison was pushing alternating current for use with the electric chair, to drive home to the public his belief that alternating current was too dangerous for commercial use.) This book works well on many levels. We see Edison trying to get alternating current used with the electric chair, while Westinghouse tries to fight back, via his lawyers, by showing execution via electrocution was messy and unreliable, and hence was "cruel and unusual punishment." The book is also good at describing the more general competition between Edison's direct current and Westinghouse's alternating current. It takes some careful reading, but you get to learn the advantages and disadvantages of both systems at that time, and how elbow grease and creativity were used to overcome some of the problems. Also, considering that this is not really a biography, Mr. Essig gives a pretty well-rounded portrait of Edison. He was pretty eccentric - for example, sleeping under a bench or on the floor of a closet at the Menlo Park laboratory - but he wasn't lacking in social skills. He was charming and witty and he was very good at promoting himself and his inventions. Like all interesting people, he was complex: when Edison's daughter told him she was writing a novel, Edison told her "that in the case of a marriage to put in bucketfulls [sic] of misery. This would make it realistic." However, after Edison's first wife (Mary) died at the age of 29, Edison - the supposed cynic, misogynist, and misogamist - quickly fell under the spell of the 19 year old Mina Miller, and didn't hesitate to marry her. The man who supposedly thought about his work 24 hours a day remarked that while walking through Boston he "got thinking about Mina and came near being run over by a street car." Regarding Edison's wit and sense of humor, the following is just one of many examples contained in the book: Edison bought his daughter Marion a pet parrot, but the bird never learned to speak. Edison complained that the bird had "the taciturnity of a statue, and the dirt producing capacity of a drove of Buffalo." One of the many things I learned from this book was that, contrary to popular belief, Edison never called execution by electricity being "Westinghoused." One of his lawyers came up with the expression for possible use in the public relations war between the two men. To Edison's credit, he rejected using the word as a synonym for electrocution. Other examples of areas this book explores are the work environment at Menlo Park (where the men would go out into the midnight darkness, accompanied by a dog holding a lantern between his teeth, to buy some food and beer to bring back to the workshop); the politics of the time (bribes being paid to either pass a bill to institute execution by electricity rather than hanging, or to kill such a bill); the fallibility of "experts" (who made uneducated guesses on how electrocution caused death, how much current to use, etc.); and the irresponsibility of the newspapers of the time (going from one extreme to the other in admiring or denigrating both Einstein and Westinghouse; calling the electric chair a wonderful and humane invention one moment and an awful example of barbarity the next). If the book has one fault, it is that Mr. Essig uses the battle between Edison and Westinghouse to slip in his personal opposition to capital punishment. I don't feel this falls within the scope of the story, and he should have resisted the urge to use the book as a soapbox. That being said, this is still a very well-written, well-researched, and fascinating book.

Fascinating History
Today we all take electricity for granted. We pay monthly fees to large utility companies, and whenever we buy an electrical appliance we plug it in and it works. But we never think about the fact that as recently as the late 19th century, electricity in homes and businesses was a rarity. And it wasn't the government or large public companies who were rolling it out to communities across the US, but instead entrepreneurs like Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse competing to develop different types of electrical services and rushing to sign up as many customers as possible to their own companies' proprietary standards.

Perhaps the biggest rivalry in the electrical field was between Edison, who promoted his direct current system, a relatively low voltage system whose electricity could not be transmitted across a broad area without installing additional generators, and Westinghouse, whose alternating current systems allowed very high voltages to be transmitted across very large distances. No safety standards existed for the budding electric industry, so in an attempt to maintain his early business lead, Edison and his colleagues did what they could to publicize the dangers of allowing high voltage alternating current into people's homes and neighborhoods, and the relative safety of direct current.

The story of electricity in itself is a fascinating business story that parallels a lot of what we've seen in the late 20th century with the internet rush and the mad dash to roll out hundreds of ISPs, most of which have fallen by the wayside as saner business models prevail and the industry consolidates. The business ethics at the time leave a lot to be desired, not unlike the business ethics of the late 20th century.

But this engaging first-time author, Mark Essig, doesn't stop with the history of the electrical industry. He overlays the story of capital punishment into the picture. Humanists in the 19th century were debating whether the various methods used for capital punishment were humane. The use of electricity was raised as a possible painless alternative to hangings and other "barbaric" methods of killing criminals. Ironically, Edison promoted his rival Westinghouse's alternating current system as the perfect solution to the capital punishment dilemma, by stating that its dangerous system would instantly kill any criminals, not to mention thousands of regular consumers who might accidentally get in its way.

This book was a truly terrific mix of history and anecdotes about a very interesting period in history that still impacts us today and that has many parallels in modern day business. And while the book doesn't take sides on the capital punishment debate, it certainly raises a lot of interesting issues and is certain to cause a lot of discussion in that area as well.

I strongly recommend it.

Who knew history could be this entertaining?!
While I am not usually drawn to books about technological history, the combination of narrative power and illuminating research made Edison & the Electric Chair a thoroughly engaging read. It reads like a tightly-drawn novel with compelling -- and sometimes repellent -- characters and plot. I couldn't wait to see how the story would unfold.

As someone only marginally familiar with the science and history behind the development of electricity, I found myself fascinated by Essig's cogent explanations both of how electricity works and the myriad dangers and difficulties of implementing direct current as a means of electrification. Essig deftly weaves the complex personalities of the major players (most centrally Edison and Westinghouse) into the escalating debate over direct and alternating current.

As the story of the first electrocution unfolds, Essig broadens the discussion to include not only the ethics of capital punishment and the relative humanity of the electric chair, but also larger implications of industrial competition, the rise of electric companies, and the illuminating of America.

Bolstered by meticulous yet accessible research, Essig clearly lays out the changing attitudes and approaches to capital punishment. As he explores such volatile issues as the shift from public to private execution by the state, the role of capital punishment in the moral education of the citizenry, and the irony of the state's attempts to make execution humane, Essig always gives the reader room to reach her own conclusions.

The greatest strength of this book might lie in its sensitively and lucidly wrought conclusion. Essig bridges the years from the first electrocutions to the present and shows how we are still involved in the same basic debate. While the efficiency and means of execution have changed through the last century, the crux of the debate remains the same: what is the role of the state in creating a machinery for death and should we truly make state executions palatable -- or should we finally recognize the inherent horror of it all? Essig leaves the reader with much to ponder -- and a strong foundation of cultural and scientific history from which to do so.

Fascinating and broader than its title suggests
Two inventors and industrial giants grappled in commercial combat over primacy in the emerging electric power industry in the late 19th and early 20th century. They were Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. The strategic hill of the battle was whether direct current (Edison) or alternating current (Westinghouse) would prevail. Edison made the safer system, but Westinghouse made the more economical system, because alternating current could be transmitted over longer distances with fewer generating stations.

While the marketing battle raged, New York had the inspiration to move from execution by hanging to electrocution. Hanging was notoriously fallible (necks did not snap so the victim strangled slowly, or necks snapped too well, decapitating the victim). New York solicited the opinion of the foremost authority on electricity, Edison. Edison, an opponent of the death penalty, demurred at first. But the temptation to dramatically equate his enemy's system of electricity with death proved too strong. Yes, Edison said, electrocution is just the thing, and alternating current is the best method of electrocution.

So New York's electrical execution law passed, and the appeal progressed of the first victim of the electric chair. His attorney, W. Bourke Cockran, secretly paid by Westinghouse, argued that electrocution was cruel and unusual under the Constitution, and so could not be imposed. Expert witness and secret Edison shill Harold Brown disagreed. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

This book tells the story of how a convicted murderer, William Kemmler, became a pawn in a battle between electrical titans. But the book is much more. It is a history of the electrical industry when electrical power was new and miraculous, technologically on the cutting edge. The book is also a history and sociology of the death penalty (very interesting), and a biography of Edison. Edison & the Electric Chair is also a window into industrial-strength ruthlessness and a portrait of a time when powerful industries could defy laws, kill people, and get away with it. The book also pauses to inform the reader of such things as how the electric chair kills (it cooks and carbonizes the brain), and of how the first death penalty electrocutions were badly botched ("He's alive!").

This book is readable and illuminating. You might not change your mind about the death penalty after reading it, but your opinion will definitely be more profound. ... Read more

Book Description

This classic introduction to electromagnetic fields, thoroughly revised in 1964 and available here in a one-volume edition, includes an invaluable self-contained section on quantum theory. Problems with solutions. 148 illustrations. Reprint of 1964 ed.
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Reviews (1)

Arguably the text where Einstein learnt Maxwell theory
Yes, this is the result of a research by Gerald Holton, the great science historian from Harvard. This is the latest rendition of the famous Abraham-Becker, which, in turn, descended from the text by Foppl, where Einstein scribbled his doubts. A great book for anyone, though. Crisp, conceptually very sound. Great discussion, and elegant use of the Helmholtz theorem on vector fields ("if you know the Div and the Curl, you know everything"). Very good treatment of relativistic electromagnetism, perhaps the best, very concrete and tied to experiments. Becker was a great science writer. In this Dover edition you get the bonus of Becker's lectures on Quantum Mechanics, very valuable by themselves. I love this book, and have taught from it many times. ... Read more

Book Description

In the first edition of Bioelectricity, Plonsey and Barr provided an introduction to electrophysiology following a quantitative approach. In this second edition they address new discoveries in the field of ion channels. The text is an introduction to electrophysiology utilizing a quantitative approach. It describes the principles of electrical fields, using basic principles from science and engineering while taking the biological applications into consideration. The book thus provides an introduction to the quantitative description of underlying electrophysiology with illustrative application to cardiac electrophysiology and functional electrical stimulation. The book can be used as a bridge to more advanced texts, particularly those that stress a quantitative approach. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A classic text in the field of bioengineering.
Begins with the necessary physics and vector calculus. Steps logically and clearly through the physics of diffusing ions in solution separated by membranes. Presents classic Hodgkin-Huxley formulation and develops analytic and computer models of excitable axon. Covers basics of ECG and heart vector rotation. All exercises in the book focus on extension of topics and experimentation. Written for the engineer/scientist at the senior undergrad level. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

Simplicity
Universities do not force their graduate students to learn electrodynamics because it will be useful to their careers. They do it because solving well-posed, canonical problems in science's most complete subject should help the student develop a sense for simplicity and rigor. A well-taught electrodynamics course should be less about mathematical minutiae and more about how to think and present arguments.

Dr. Melia's class and text do just that. In class, Dr. Melia began each lecture at the top-left of the board, wrote and spoke clearly, rolled up past boards so that people who came in late could quickly get up to speed, and asked test questions he had prepared the class for. His text reveals the same eye for simplicity--and, more than an introduction to particles and fields, is a beautiful lesson on *how to teach*.

Good book
Fulvio Melia's Electrodynamics offers a concise, compact, yet complete treatment of this important branch of physics. Unlike most of the standard texts, Electrodynamics neither assumes familiarity with basic concepts nor ends before reaching advanced theoretical principles. Instead this book takes a continuous approach, leading the reader from fundamental physical principles through to a relativistic Lagrangian formalism that overlaps with the field theoretic techniques used in other branches of advanced physics. Avoiding unnecessary technical details and calculations, Electrodynamics will serve both as a useful supplemental text for graduate and advanced undergraduate students and as a helpful overview for physicists who specialize in other fields.

Excellent Book!
This is an excellent book ... very well written. Fulvio Melia has a wonderful talent for writing in understandable language which is a great plus for students.

Move over Jackson!
Everybody says if you want a graduate text on E&M, your only choice is Jackson. Happily that is no longer true. Melia's text is quite well-structured, starting with an empirical basis for Maxwell's equations, then moving on to electrostatics, magnetostatics, pre-relativistic radiation theory, special relativity, Lagrangian formulation of E&M, relativistic radiation theory, and lastly a chapter on special topics (multipole moments, Bremsstrahlung, magnetohydrodynamics). The exposition is clearer than Jackson, and the reader is not encumbered with extra information.
There are no problems in the book, so it may work best as a complement to Jackson (or perhaps Jackson may work best as a complement to Melia). In either case, this is a very readable book, and an excellent source for graduate students taking E&M. ... Read more

Book Description

Semiconductor Physics and Devices: Basic Principles, Second Edition, provides the fundamentals necessary to understand semiconductor device characteristics, operations, and limitations. Neamen's book reveals the fundamentals by establishing for the student a sound understanding of quantum mechanics and an introduction to the quantum theory of solids. This background permits the student to develop a deeper understanding of how essential physics, semiconductor material physics, and semiconductor device physics interrelate. Espousing neither the intuitive approach of many textbooks, nor the highly technical characteristics of handbooks, Semiconductor Physics and Devices: Basic Principles provides students with a resource that is engaging and understandable and instructors with a textbook that offers teachability without sacrificing technical exactitude. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Little Detail Please
This is used for an upper division intro to semi's class at the Univ of MN-Duluth
This book is at best a poor text, but more likely it would be better with a reference book that actually went over the material, and used this as an overview.
I like what other students say about the answers in the back, "If you get that answer, you know your wrong."
Either the author doesn't really want the student to know how to do the material inside, wants an instructor to figure it out and teach it, or just doesn't care.
A poor purchase at 10% of the price.

Third semester of crap and counting...
I had the misfortune of using his Electronic Circuit Analysis book my sophomore year. I'm impressed - he's actually managed to write a book that is more worthless! The examples are poor and few and definitions of symbols and constants was almost nonexistent. Get yourself some note cards or you're going to lose hours of your life flipping through this waste of paper.

organized, easy reference
This book is used at the University of Washington for an upper level senior, lower level graduate course on semiconductor physics. I've found it a good for breakfast reading. It's a well organized and complete reference to many topics. There are lots of equation numbers and the important ones are boxed in blue (for those like that). Don't read cover to cover.

Sad...........just sad
I've seen better explanations of quantum physics written in crayon on bathroom walls. This whole book is horrible. It's the first book I've read where I actually felt more ignorant after I memorized it. If you have a choice, stay as far away from this book as possible.

Don't waste your time
Perhaps the worst textbook I have ever had the misfortune to rely upon in an upper division EE class. I'm in my 9th month of using this text and have completed approximately 150 problems as homework assignments and as study for exams.

This text lacks clarity, conciseness, logical flow, and is completely unreliable. Specific examples include not just one or two but at least 60 problems with incorrect answers listed in the back of the text, several instances where one paragraph will contradict the previous one, use of unnecessary mathematical notation and improper use of notation, nonconsistent use of notation, physical constants that are blatantly ignored in the text and not fully explained within example problems, and the classic overuse of mathematics in order to circularly justify simple concepts. The problems at the back of each chapter in no way progress or build upon concepts presented within the chapters and also serve to confuse the reader. The distinct impression I'm left with is that the author is unaware of how to present concepts in a consistent and concise manner that actually allows people to learn. The only reason I give this text one star is because amazon won't let me give it zero. ... Read more