Book Description

Presenting an introduction to the mathematics of modern physics for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this textbook introduces the reader to modern mathematical thinking within a physics context. Topics covered include tensor algebra, differential geometry, topology, Lie groups and Lie algebras, distribution theory, fundamental analysis and Hilbert spaces. The book also includes exercises and proofed examples to test the students' understanding of the various concepts, as well as to extend the text's themes. ... Read more

Book Description

The best-selling sequel to "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"--funny, poignant, instructive. One of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century, Richard Feynman possessed an unquenchable thirst for adventure and an unparalleled ability to tell the stories of his life. "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" is Feynman's last literary legacy, which he prepared as he struggled with cancer. Among its many tales--some funny, others intensely moving--we meet Feynman's first wife, Arlene, who taught him of love's irreducible mystery as she lay dying in a hospital bed while he worked nearby on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. We are also given a fascinating narrative of the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger's explosion in 1986, and we relive the moment when Feynman revealed the disaster's cause by an elegant experiment: dropping a ring of rubber into a glass of cold water and pulling it out, misshapen. A New York Times bestseller. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

¿Continuation of a curious character¿
This book is a continuation and addendum of sorts to Mr. Feynman's first biography, "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman". The two major stories of the book involve Mr. Feynman's enormously influential first wife, Arlene and the second story involves Mr. Feynman's work in the Challenger disaster investigation. Sprinkled around these two major bookends are other humorous adventures and observations about a trip to Japan, being labeled a sexist pig by feminists, and hotel hunting in Europe to name just a few.

The Challenger investigation takes up a sizable chunk of the book and is sometimes filled with drier material. But the compelling event and frustrating insight into government bureaucracy holds some interest to make up for the technical specifications.

The first part of the book where his wife Arlene is discussed is so touching and powerful that the reader will be hard pressed not to get teary-eyed.

As noted in the review about the first biography, Mr. Feynman was an extremely curious person who explored things out of simple curiosity. His life's quest was nothing simpler than a desire to understand Nature. All the while, he tried to have the best time he could. Hopefully this reader can take away at least a little bit of that.

Scientific background is not a prerequisite
A lot of books written by scientific people claim to be "down-to-earth" and for the "layman" but end up creeping into the obscure. Not so here. Feynman starts with his feet planted firmly on the ground and never strays.

The first few stories range from the serious to the light-hearted. From the pain of losing his wife to being invited to speak at a funeral for a man whom he can't remember. These accounts give you a good look at the ability of Feynman to convey a story and make it interesting. The majority of the book however is given to the time he spent on the committee that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Using no nonsense, straight-forward writing he takes you through the process of how he and the others, despite a lot of bureaucratic red tape, managed to find out what went wrong on that fateful day. What could very well be a dry and uninspiring subject becomes quite informative and engaging through his telling.

This is my first book by Feynman, but having absorbed the whole thing in one sitting it surely won't be my last.

Not Joking this time
The follow-up to the successful, "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman" this book offers four pretty distinct parts.

First section describes how his father taught him to think about the world and his father's ambition to make young Richard a scientist. The end of the book is Feyman's case for the importance of science. In between we get the sad, but sweet story of his first wife and the utterly compelling story of his time on the committee investigating the challenger explosion. It was my favorite part of the book.

The description of how government committees decide facts and make recommendations was eye opening. It was the best description of how these things work that I've ever read. Feynman was constantly up against a committee chairman that wanted to keep everyone in a room asking questions of experts. Feynman didn't like that setup. He wanted to travel out to NASA and talk to engineers, so he did.

Going to Huston and Canaveral, Feynman learned something about the nature of NASA that probably goes for any big organization. He found that NASA was a unified force when their goal was putting a man of the moon. Information was shared freely and appreciated at every level. Once that goal was met NASA became compartmentalized.

Leaders at the top spent their time reassuring Congress that NASA would achieve their goals with low costs and high safety. Engineers at the bottom realized that this wasn't entirely possible. The middle managers didn't want to hear the challenges because they would be forced to report it to the top bosses who didn't want to hear it. It was much easier for top bosses to paint a rosy picture to Congress if they were unaware of the actual challenges of making it work. The end result was that top bosses said that the likelihood of a mission death was 1-100,000 while engineers on the ground felt that the likelihood was more like 1-300.

Feynman concludes that maybe the shuttle program was a bad idea. It could never live up to the ambitious projections of the leaders and the American public was being lied to. NASA should be honest with the American people, Feynman thought, then Congress and voters can decide if they are getting enough for their money. It was a surprisingly thing to hear from an advocate of science and discovery. But Feynam reckoned that the amount of science and discovery has been little compared to the cost. He complained years after the first shuttle launch he still hadn't read any significant experiments in scientific journals.

In all, I liked this book a little better than "Surely You're Joking." It was a little more thought provoking than those fun tales.

Interesting follow up
This book is the follow on to the book "Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman". In the first book there was a time line that progressed from youth to Professor at Caltech. This book is much different in that 45% of the book describes his pre- 1986 life and 55% describes his involvement in the Challenger shuttle accident investigation. This investigation was a mere 2 years of his life (and the final 2 years as well). The same brilliant character shines through in both parts of this book. There are many interesting vignettes of this iconoclast that are not in the first book. The most interesting part is the description of his relationship with his first wife Arlene who succumbed to TB while he was still a young man. He really had a great heart for those close to him. He didn't suffer fools willingly and often was abrupt to the point of rudeness. More interesting observations are available at feynmanonline^com. Detailed there is a more balanced view of the man and his foibles.

Hero worship can blind you to reality
Yes, Feynman was brilliant. Yes, Feynman revolutionized the teaching of physics. Yes, he seems to have been a delightful, charming, handsome, womanizing, fun guy to hang out with. But the Feynman cottage industry ran dry a long time ago. I expect his grocery lists to be published any day now to feed the insatiable hunger for anything that he touched. The essays and articles in this book are bland and nearly worthless. One is introduced as "uproarious." Uproarious is defined as "provoking hilarity." If you think anecdotes about Feynman running up a stairway to bring his heart rate up are hilarious, you are easily amused. This book was a complete waste of time and money. ... 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

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

Presenting a comprehensive description of the theory and physics of high-intensity ultrasound, this book also deals with a wide range of problems associated with the industrial applications of ultrasound, mainly in the areas of metallurgy and mineral processing.
The book is divided into three sections, and Part I introduces the reader to the theory and physics of high-intensity ultrasound. Part II considers the design of ultrasonic generators, mechanoacoustic radiators and other vibrational systems, as well as the control of acoustic parameters when vibrations are passed into a processed medium. Finally, Part III describes problems associated with various uses of high-intensity ultrasound in metallurgy. The applications of high-intensity ultrasound for metal shaping, thermal and thermochemical treatment, welding, cutting, refining, and surface hardening are also discussed here.
This comprehensive monograph will provide an invaluable source of information, which has been largely unavailable in ... Read more

Book Description

The fast, easy way to master the fundamentals of physics

Here is the most practical, complete, and easy-to-use guide available for understanding physics and the physical world. Even if you don't consider yourself a "science" person, this book helps make learning key concepts a pleasure, not a chore. Whether you need help in a course, want to review the basics for an exam, or simply have always been curious about such physical phenomena as energy, sound, electricity, light, and color, you've come to the right place! This fully up-to-date edition of Basic Physics:

• Has been tested, rewritten, and retested to ensure that you can teach yourself all about physics
• Requires no math—mathematical treatments and applications are included in optional sections so that you can choose either a mathematical or nonmathematical approach
• Lets you work at your own pace with a helpful question-and-answer format
• Lists objectives for each chapter—you can skip ahead or find extra help if you need it
• Reinforces what you learn with end-of-chapter self-tests

Reviews (7)

Rudimentary and Generally Useless for Studying...
I am currently enrolled in an entry-level physics course. There is no calculus involved in this course, nor is it a "math" based physics course: Rather, it is an introduction to most topics fundamental to physics. For the purposes of academicia, this book is essentially useless. Its coverage of topics attempts to be too many things at once: As a student, I got the impression that it was an attempt to cover everything, but with as little complexity as possible.

Thus, one is left with a sense of surface understanding, but very few abilities for application.

This book was purchased as a method by which I could introduce myself to topics covered in class. The theory behind this was that if i learned the basics from an outside source, then when we covered them (more in-depth and mechanical, less layman's-terms). This book provides an overly-simplified, dumbed-down portrayal of physics.

If you've never taken any physics courses and have - literally - no background in mechanics (and a weak background in algebra-based math), then this book may be perfect for you: It is a gentle, superficial introduction to the most basic concepts of physics. There basic discussion of Newton's laws of motion, some kinetic/potential energy discussion, etc: All topics common to most non-math physics courses. Additionally, while brief explanations of major laws and motions are given, there are very few practice problems and application instances. Thus, you've learned - in theory - say, Newton's Second Law. But the book, in no way, guides you through an application of said law.

Simply, it is a gentle introduction - and very gentle, at that - to the world of physics. The simple language is easy to follow, though topics are hardly covered thoroughly. But it is a good starting-off point if you are easing yourself into the study of physics (on your own). I highly recommend finding another, more thorough (and in-depth) book in order to further examine topics.

An useful introduction to physics
rating 4.5;

Dr Kuhn has made a somewhat different approach to the usual methods of teaching physics
1) Mathematically (formulas!)
2) Conceptually (no mathematics, just ideas, more like 'popular science')

Instead he has sought a pedagogically stronger middle ground (balancing act) between these two methods that don't always compliment each other: especially in the minds of those who can't do mathematics very well but commmunicate well, or do mathematics very well and not the communicating thing very well. This means he has effectively made physics more accessible and more applicable (by including optional mathematical treatments of some topics). SO you can learn the concepts and then move on to the introductory mathematics of these concepts.

Lets face it: the push with physics now, so it seems, is concept mastery before mathematical treatment (anybody can learn some equations, plug the numbers in and turn the handle...it's knowing what they meant that's far more important). Dr Kuhn does a good job of this. His language, style and setting are conducive to reading and gaining the concepts in a fairly standard progression (this can be seen in the table of contents). The level here is for the 10-11 grade student or somebody who has never seen physics before. This book will not make passing those university physics courses overly likely. But it will get you on the right track so you can confront the books that those courses require you to read (and work with mathematically). Dr Kuhn uses the tool of a small 'section' quiz - three, four five questions at the end of each section (very short!) to reinforce the point of that section. His presentation of material in small 'bite-sized' pieces is also good, as is the profusion of diagrams (albeit black and white, line diagrams for the most part).

I admire the Dr Kuhn has made 'real', formalized physics (rather than just pop science) more approachable, applicable and this can't be bad. Maybe it will take some of the tarnish of the bad name physics has as 'the geek science'. And yes, the book is mostly metric!

One annoyance (hence the loss of 0.5 stars): the answers are right after the questions so it' easy for the student to 'accidentally' catch a peak. Maybe next edition put them at the end of the chapter or in an appendix.

Another book that could be used to compliment (or follow on from) Dr Kuhn's book, having a higher level and depth and more mathematics, is Physics (Palgrave Foundations)by Jim Breithaupt (isbn: 1403900558). It is geared more toward the final year high school student/1st year university student. Followed by Physics by Hecht (isbn: 0534339859) if you want a serious physics books (and weighty one too!)

So in all, this book is a very good starting point for physics! It doesn't promise more than an introduction to the topic, but at least it will present you with enough concepts so you can move onwards and upwards through the subject (of course, with the comensurate rise in mathematics and the ability to do it). I think if I was facing learning physics from scratch (thank god I'm not -> I have an engineering degree), this is the book I would like to try with. I think it would make that both enjoyable and rewarding because making learning progress and gaining conceptual understanding is a major theme of this book.

New to Physics?
If you are new to physics and know nothing about the subject than this is the place to start. It makes learning physics fun and easy. It covers all the basics and unlike other books their are no mistakes that I am aware of. This book takes a non-mathematical approach toward the subject so you don't have to be a wiz at math. Although, their is some math involved, most is optional. Their are problems to be solved on almost every page and their is a quiz at the end of each chapter to reinforce what you learn. Their are other great physics books out there but this is the best one I've read, hands down.

Might I also recommend, 'Physics Made Simple'. A great book as well.

Pretty Good
Should bring you up to Grade 12 level in Physics or serve as a good primer for those middle age lovers of science whose occupations never test our knowledge of physics, but nonetheless who feel the need for a physics "fix" later in life.

This book is so good that I never have to ask my wife (an Engineer) for help. In that sense it is good for family relations as well.

A Good Start
This book is a great place to start for anyone wanting to learn the basics of Newtonian physics. I decided to read this book in preparation for my high school's Physics AP class that I'll be taking next year. Comparing this book to an outline of the course, I found that the book covers more topics than the class, but in less detail. Like I said, it's great for the basics, but that's about it. The approach is rather non-mathematical, but very clear and easy to understand. Kuhn has done a great job of making basic physics understandable. This book, in conjunction with a study text, such as Schaum's Beginning Physics I or a textbook, would be an ideal way to learn physics on your own. ... Read more

Book Description

This best-selling, calculus-based text is recognized for its carefully crafted, logical presentation of the basic concepts and principles of physics. Raymond Serway, Robert Beichner, and contributing author John W. Jewett present a strong problem-solving approach that is further enhanced through increased realism in worked examples. Problem-solving strategies and hints allow students to develop a systematic approach to completing homework problems. The outstanding ancillary package includes full multimedia support, online homework, and a content-rich Web site that provides extensive support for instructors and students. The CAPA (Computer-assisted Personalized Approach), WebAssign, and University of Texas homework delivery systems give instructors flexibility in assigning online homework. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Frustrating Book
This is my first experience with this author/book and I am not impressed. I have used other physics books in the past that were far better than this one. There are not too many worked out example problems and the level of understanding in the book is set pretty high.

The BEST Introductory Physics Book EVER
To be honest, I didn't even need to buy this book, but I did it anyway. Having worked with Serway's Texts before, I new this was going to be an exellent book. This text contains hundreds of illustrations to help a student of physics grasp the underlying concepts. The book also has many diversified problems to help the student obtain the tools needed to be successful in physics. I would recommend this book to anybody, even those not interested in physics, because by the time your through with this book, you'll be interested alright.

Un libro facil de entender, para estudiantes de ingenieria
yo he utilizado el tomo 1 y 2 y me parecen muy facil de entender tiene buenos ejemplos, pero tambien recomiendo que poseean otro libro a la hora de estudiar porque hay cosas que el serway no menciona y otros libros si.

Good book, longer wait than others..
The book was in excellent condition for a used book, although it took 2 weeks for the book to arrive. All-in-all I would buy from this guy again.

Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Vol. II, 5th Ed.
The service was excellent, she had the book shipped out within 2 days, and I received the book in 4 business days! ... Read more

Book Description

The interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter in the frequency range between 10-6 and 1012 Hz is the domain of broadband dielectric spectroscopy. In this extraordinarily extended dynamic range molecular and collective dipolar fluctuations, charge transport and polarisation effects at inner and outer boundaries take place and determine the dielectric properties of the material being studied. Hence, broadband dielectric spectroscopy enables one to gain a wealth of information on the dynamics of bound (dipoles) and mobile charge carriers depending on the details of a molecular system. It is the intention of this book to be both an introductory course to broadband dielectric spectroscopy as well as a monograph describing recent dielectric contributions to current topics. In this respect the book will correspond to the needs of graduate students but also to specialized researchers, molecular physicists, polymer scientists and materials scientists in academia and in industry. ... Read more

Book Description

A self-contained third edition of a leading reference for practicing engineers involved in the measurement of temperature, pressure, and flow rate. This thoroughly updated edition includes new material on wall taps, liquid baths, high response design, and boundary layer conditions. Traces the history, develops and applies concepts in practical cases through the use of completely worked-out examples. Considers the construction, circuits, characteristics, and interpretation of outputs of all sensors and transducers. ... Read more

Book Description

An indispensable resource for scientists and engineers concerned with high vacuum technology

Vacuum technology has evolved significantly over the past thirty years and is now indispensable to various fields of scientific research as well as the medical technology, food processing, aerospace, and electronics industries.

Foundations of Vacuum Science and Technology offers a comprehensive survey of the physical and chemical principles underlying the production, measurement, and use of high vacuums. It also provides a valuable critical survey of important developments that have occurred in the field over the past several decades.

Comprising contributions from many of the world's leading specialists in vacuum techniques, Foundations of Vacuum Science and Technology:
* Reviews the laws of kinetics, the principles of gas flow over a wide range of pressures, and the behaviors of both compressible and turbulent flows
* Features exhaustive coverage of vacuum pump technology, including liquid ring pumps, dry pumps, turbo pumps, getter pumps, and cryo pumps
* Describes leak detectors used in industry
* Examines all types of pressure measurement techniques, including the latest quadrupole mass spectrometer techniques for partial pressure analysis
* Explores the state of the art in calibration and standards. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good Introduction to Vacuum System
I have used this book as an undergraduate and graduate student. This is a great book that takes you from the basics to the more advanced technologies. A must have for a lab.

Foundations of Vacuum Science and Technology
This is a very useful book for the people who is interested in Vacuum technoloyies. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It isn't easy finding a job these days and for those working in the creative fields like graphic design, illustration, photography, filmmaking, and music, a digital portfolio is just the shiny object you need to catch the attention of a prospective employer. But you can't just slap a few files on a CD and call it a night. As Cynthia Baron points out in Designing a Digital Portfolio--a thorough guide to digital portfolios--your first impression is critical and good preparation will pay off.

The books begins with soul-searching: what work are you hoping to get, who's your audience, what style of presentation should you choose, and what technology--Zip, CD, DVD? Effective portfolios from various fields are analyzed, for example, one for an industrial designer or a flash animation artist. If you happen to do both or are otherwise a jack-of-all-trades, Baron outlines your strategy for targeting your audience and deciding how to focus your presentation.

There're several great chapters on prepping your work, collecting it (do you have your process materials, like pencil sketches?), digitizing the non-digital and cleaning it up (like stitching together scans or effective cropping), nitty-gritty items like optimizing and encoding (crucial if you don't want your future boss frustrated by large files), and dealing with that neglected cousin of the visually creative: good written content.

Next, the book considers delivery (for example, Web versus a portable portfolio on CD or DVD), a presentation metaphor (for example, gallery or diary), and the navigational master plan. The chapter on copyrights and attribution are worth the cover price alone. (For example, do you know who owns the artwork you just created for that latest brochure? Do you know how to present a large project on which you worked as part of a team?)

Throughout the book, Baron profiles some stellar examples of digital portfolios, most of which are viewable online, for example, illustrator Michael Bartalos's Web site at bartalos.com. And the appendices offer even more resources to help and inspire you. --Angelynn Grant ... Read more

Reviews (2)

One of the Best Books on the Topic
This is one of the best books on its topic that I have ever seen. From the title, I expected to find advice on preparing images for the screen, how to put them on a CD or DVD, etc. Those things are there, but the book begins in a logical place that I wouldnÕt have considered. BrownÕs approach is truly holistic.

Check out page 23 for the first page of a three-page self assessment check list. It has you evaluate your professional strengths and weaknesses, goals and personality.

Chapter 3 asks you a bunch of questions to help you identify who your audience really is and focus on them.

The rest of the book covers various digital formats, how to organize your work, how to get images of 3D and oversized work into your portfolio, including choosing a camera and setting up for shooting.

Ms. Brown covers editing your images to remove the most common problems, such as moirŽ, sharpening needs, bad crops, etc. And ... she devotes a section to creating written content to accompany your stunning images, telling you how to write to that audience you defined earlier.

She explains the differences between a monitor screen and a printed page. You need to know that to design the correct interface for your portfolio. She also has a full chapter devoted to marketing and copyright issues.

The entire book is scattered with quotes (in friendly green type) from experts and those who have gone before you. The quotes tell you what agencies are looking for in a portfolio, how others have found success at this, what things you can do to streamline the process, etc.

The definitive resource
For several months I searched for an appropriate textbook for a course that I was developing. Several days prior to the deadline for the course outline, "Designing a Digital Portfolio " was published. After reading the book, I realized this was the authoritative text for anyone in a creative field. The book asks and answers all the essential questions. It is perfect for the technological savvy multimedia programmer or for any artist with limited technology expertise. I urge anyone who is even considering developing a digital portfolio to buy this book. Without qualification, this is the most valuable book on the market

Multimedia Portfolio Instructor/Art Institute/Art Institute Online
Subject Matter Expert / Curriculum Development Multimedia Portfolio ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Classic but dated & expensive - paperback coming soon
In response to questions from colleagues and students i'm posting this review.
This was the standard text many years ago.
Many current topics on mathematical Quantization and Stochastic Optimization are conspicuously abscent.
The publisher is working on a two Volume Paperback edition that will be available shortly, so save your money and buy this 2-vol set for one fifth the price.

A hard but superb book.
Current physics students had less mathematical trainings than those did several decades ago, when computer wasn't popular. So this book is probably too hard to read through and to work on its problems. But if you force yourself, you will begin to appreciate the beauty of mathematics. The chapter about Green's function is escpecially good, never had a so vivid lecture on Green's function before. Actually, when I read this book, I felt Green's function is the kernel and the main bone of this book. It appears almost in every chapter.

The price is pretty high, but if you choose physics as your career, it's worth to have this book, both for academic and entertaining purposes.

THE classic text
The classic text, still excellent, tho' somewhat dated. Well worth having because (a) the physical viewpoint is helpful for theorists and easier for experimentalists, (b) the older viewpoint is different from that of more modern texts, and still worthwhile; multiple viewpoints increase understanding. ... Read more

Book Description

* Highly readable paperback reprint of one of the great time-tested classics in the field of signal processing
* Together with the reprint of Part III and the new Part IV, this will be the most complete treatment of the subject available
* As imperative today as it was when it originally published
* Has important applications in radar, sonar, communications, seismology, biomedical engineering, and astronomy
* Includes section summaries, examples, and a large number of problems ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Classic Text
I have just taken this course from Dr. Van Trees at GMU. Est&Det organized many concepts taught in other graduate engineering courses into a coherent philosophy. The result is not only a rich understanding of estimation and detection, but also random processes, Wiener filtering, Kalman filtering, radar and communications theory etc.

The course was taught directly from the text with little outside material. Very little has become obsolete in the 30+ years since it was written.

The strong positives of this book are the philosophical organization, clear concise writing, and incredibly well conceived homework problems.

The only negative of the book is that there are many proofs done in great detail. This provides the necessary foundation for the material, but also makes it easy for the student to lose track of the bigger picture.

Dr. Van Trees tends to try to drive home the higher level concepts while glossing over many of the details when he is lecturing. The exercise problems then force the student to give the necessary attention to pertinent details. In my opinion, this is an excellent approach to teaching the material.

Overall, this course was as good as any I've every taken. The text is as important and useful as any other I have. ... Read more

Book Description

General relativity has become one of the central pillars of theoretical physics, with important applications in both astrophysics and high-energy particle physics, and no modern theoretical physicist's education should be regarded as complete without some study of the subject. This textbook, based on the author's own undergraduate teaching, develops general relativity and its associated mathematics from a minimum of prerequisites, leading to a physical understanding of the theory in some depth. It reinforces this understanding by making a detailed study of the theory's most important applications - neutron stars, black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmology - using the most up-to-date astronomical developments. The book is suitable for a one-year course for beginning graduate students or for undergraduates in physics who have studied special relativity, vector calculus, and electrostatics. Graduate students should be able to use the book selectively for half-year courses. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

An introductory text well suited for independent study.
A fairly complete presentation commencing with special relativity and concluding with gravitational waves and cosmology. Although intended to be used as a classroom text, the mathematically inclined reader with a firm grasp on differential equations and vector calculus can work through the text on one's own. I recommend Steven Wienberg's book GRAVITATION as a companion text for both a different perspective and to help overcome some of the conceptual hurdles.

You don't need to be satisfied with the poetry of lay books when a mathematical understanding is within your grasp!

Excellent First Step in Understanding General Relativity
Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning the basics of one of the most important physical theories of all time.

All the key concepts in the theory are clearly explained. Some important consequences of General Relativity are covered in some detail - gravitational waves and black holes for example.

The mathematical level of detail is moderate; a knowledge of basic differential equations will get you through. The mathematical tools of General Relativity: tensors and one-forms, etc, are covered in early chapters.

Problems are provided at the end of each chapter and range in difficulty from straight mechanical computation to challenging. Solutions to selected problems are provided at the end of the book.

Good, good, good for passing exams!
This is an introductory book for GR. I read this book two years ago for preparing an exam about GR, while I did never learn anything related to GR before but I passed the exam very well after reading this book. This book doesn't describe GR with the most modern math languages, but who cares if you just wanna learn the ideas of GR, actually this makes the understanding easier. No more preliminary knowledge than college physics is needed for reading this book, even the simple differental geometry has been self-contained very well in this small book. I consider this book a model for all good physics books.

Solid start but you'll need Ohanian/wald
This a very readable book that covers a lot of topics nicely. It gives a solid introduction to many of the main topics in the field. The only complaint I have is that it doesn't cover enough material.
My advice if you want a complete understanding of the field is to buy this and the Ohanian text (which is very thorough, pleasantly readable and does covering just about everything you need). Read them side by side and once that is done move on to Wald. Don't bother with MTW, its is a tome of scattered bits and pieces that work as a reference but it is NOT something from which you want to learn the subject.

Eh!
Normally I am fascinated with physics, at least in elementary form since the heavy stuff is way over my head. But in this book my fascination fell asleep. What can say but EH! ... Read more

Amazon.com

In April 1943, a young physicist named Robert Serber stood up before a small group of fellow scientists in a laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and, as one attendee later recalled, began to speak in "a hazy, uncertain voice" about the project on which they would all be working. "The object," he said, "is to produce a practical military weapon in the form of a bomb in which the energy is released by a fast neutron chain reaction in one or more of the materials known to show nuclear fission." That mechanism, of course, was the atomic bomb, which a little more than two years later would be used against Japan.

In the following weeks, Serber touched on many themes, racing to an array of chalkboards to scribble complex formulas and equations. Among other things, he addressed how big a bomb would need to be in order to achieve critical mass--between 13.5 centimeters and 9 centimeters, he calculated--and what the probability of premature detonation might be. (It was, he concluded, always a danger.) At the end of the series, his lecture notes, classified as top secret, were gathered and printed for distribution to later cadres of scientists who came to work at Los Alamos. Years after the war they were declassified, and Serber, who died in May of 1997, took the opportunity to reflect on his work and the strange culture of the laboratory, adding postscripts and other commentary reproduced in the present edition.

Serber's book is an important document in the history of science, and remains one of the most accessible introductions to nuclear physics ever written. (On that note, those who worry that it is all too easy to find bomb-building instructions in the library or on the Web should rest assured: these lectures were tough for the greatest theoretical physicists of the time to follow.) It all makes for provocative reading. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great book on the physics of the bomb
This is a truly exciting book for people with the desire to understand bomb physics. This book consists out of the original lecture notes from a series of seminars given in 1943 to the bomb scientists at the start of the Manhattan Project. These lecture notes are clearly annotated so that a layman can understand the bomb. Although the book discusses mainly the knowledge of 1943, the clear annotations of the author comments also on the advances since 1943.

In this book you will learn to calculate the energy of an atomic bomb after already 5 pages using only one simple physical law (no, not Einstein!). When you are halfway in the book, you will understand the calculations of the critical mass.

However to fully appreciate the book, you need to have a basic understanding of mathematics and physics. (it would be nice if you know what a differential equation is.)

The book also contains several funny anekdotes which make it a truly astonishing reading.

Excellent!
Excellent book, it takes a bit to stick with it, but the modern day excerpts/perspectives threaded into the book give it a good historical perspective. This is a good combo to go together with Richard Rhodes "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and "Dark Sun".

10 STARS! Essential reading
- for anyone seriously interested in our nuclear heritage, weaponeering, or the NWEPS program. Gives INCREDIBLE insight as to the minds and directions these young physicists were going.

This book is a must-read. Simple, concise, straightforward technically. You gotta read it, 'nuff said.

Fascinating
This is an incredible book. This is originally a compilation of Robert Serber's notes he gave to incoming scientists at Los Alamos in the 1940s, explaining to them the purpose of the Manhattan Project and the expected means by which they would achieve their goal. This particular copy, courtesy of the University of California Press, contains not only an introduction by Mr. Richard Rhodes (author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb - strongly recommended), but notes throughout the Primer itself by Robert Serber. It is fascinating to read comments on a document by the man who wrote it many years afterward. Be warned: This is NOT a how-to book, and does require some basic knowledge of calculus and physics. It is, however, unbelievably interesting, and worth the cost to add it to your collection.

Required reading--if you can handle the math.
If you want to understand the bomb, there's no substitue for this book. I have a degree in physics with a decade of dust on it and found this presentation to be just within my understanding. If you don't know calculus and freshman physics, you're probably not going to understand it very well. If you do, it's fascinating. ... Read more

Book Description

Has world oil ouptut peaked? Recent price spikes and dwindling reserves have spurred fears that we are fast approaching the critical tipping point that will trigger severe global economic depression, political instability, and human suffering.

Today 95 percent of global oil is consumed for transportation, and other alternatives are distant possibilities at best. We need a solution now, one that will pave the way to a saner, more sustainable energy future without massive reinvestments in infrastructure and technology transfer. We need biodiesel.

A crop-derived liquid fuel, biodiesel can be made from a wide range of renewable, locally grown plant sources--even from recycled cooking oils or animal fats. The technology is simple and available today, and the benefits of biodiesel are enormous, as both a cleaner-burning vehicle fuel and a source for residential or commercial heating.

Greg Pahl’s essential new book explores the history and technology of biodiesel, its current use around the world, and its exciting potential in the United States and beyond. While biodiesel is not the answer to all our energy problems, it is an important step in the long overdue process of weaning ourselves from fossil fuels. ... Read more

Book Description

Highly respected authors have reunited to update the well known 1981 edition which is still hailed as one of the best in its field. This edition includes recent antenna innovations and applications. It features a succinct treatment of the finite difference, time domain (FDTD) computational technique. It is also the first text to treat physical theory of diffraction (PTD). ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Needs table of symbols
In a book that is heavily mathematic, it is very useful to have a table of symbols to refer to. However, this text not only has no such table, but the author often fails to define the symbols he uses! He cannot assume that the symbols he uses is so standard that the reader will already be familiar with them. Also, he even often fails to define his terms directly, but relies on homonyms in subsequent sentences, and apparently expects the reader to infer the meaning, and to know that he refers to the previous concept. However, this can lead to many misunderstandings and impedes the progress of learning substantially.

Great Antenna Book
This is a good Antenna Book. It gives a clear introduction on how wave radiates from antenna, and gives many practical examples on how to design various antennas. I particularly like one of the design problem where a TV antenna (Yagi-Uda Antenna) can be constructed cheaply using coat hangers. Although it does not have as many examples as the antenna book by Balanis, it still covers many aspects of antenna analysis including method of moments and FDTD.

Solid, no compromise professional text.
It even feels heavy ! Discones, patches, loops, rhombics - good solid theory even on the less common. A good (slightly dated) review of computer design tools. Recommended for professionals in the antenna field (no pun intended).

Excellent book !
Exceptional book ! Antenna Theory and Design provides many insights that have helped me in my profession. The author clarifies and simplifies complex antenna theories enabling the reader to apply the information in design. I highly recommend this book for anybody in the communication field.

Mark L. Zimmerman, Systems Engineer, New River Community College Dublin Virginia ... Read more

Book Description

A revision of the leading text on experimental physics.The feature of this book that has made it one of the most loved texts on the subject is that it goes far beyond a mere description of key experiments in physics.The author successfully provides the reader with an understanding and appreciation of the 'physics' behind the experiments.The second edition will be an extensive revision introducing many new devices, including the use of computers and software programs, that have come into use since the publication of the first edition.In addition the important areas of condensed matter physics and optical physics will be added, including two entirely new chapters on lasers and optics.

ú Modern analysis and acquisition techniques
ú Integration with matlab for data analysis and display
ú New experiments include fundamentals of lasers ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent experimental reference!!!
I purchased this book with hopes of gaining some insight into the theoretical aspects of the modern physics experiments I was working on in a junior laboratory. I must say that this book has been invaluable. The author masterfully details the most fundamental experiments in modern physics, making the material accessible to beginning undergrad students, yet still theoretically rich enough for advanced experimental practice.

Most modern physics experiments can more than likely be referenced somewhere in this book, which serves as a lab manual complete with data samples and example analysis. For myself, the analysis techniques employed in the experiments contained within this book were the most helpful. Any physics student with experience in an advanced lab would agree that data and error analysis are the most critical part of any lab, making this book ideal as a reference.

I give this book five stars, but I must admit only one disappointment with its binding. I read a review, prior to buying this text, stating that the hardcover binding is somewhat prone to wearing out quickly, and indeed I think I have seen the beginning of this demise. However, I have made extensive use of the book, which has undoubtedly contributed to this problem.

Otherwise, I have gotten every cent's worth out of this book! ... Read more

Book Description

SolidWorks for Designers Release 2004 is a textbook written with the tutorial point of view with learn-by-doing as the theme. About 35 mechanical engineering industry examples are used as tutorials in this book and an additional 25 as exercises to ensure that the user can relate his knowledge of this book with the actual mechanical industry designs.

This textbook consists of 13 logically sequenced chapters covering the Part, Assembly, and Drawing modes of SolidWorks 2004. Every chapter begins with a command section that provides detailed explanation of the commands and tools in SolidWorks 2004. The command section is followed by tutorials that are created using these commands. This approach allows the user to use this textbook initially as a learning tool and then later use it as a reference material.

Special graphics are provided on the commands or tools that are new in SolidWorks 2004 or are enhanced in this release. This allows the reader to recognize all the new additions and enhancements in SolidWorks 2004.

The author provides free technical support to all the users of this textbook. The users can contact techsupport@cadcim.com for any technical query they have.

The author provides the following teachings aids free to faculty using this textbook.

· PowerPoint Presentations for every chapter in this textbook. You can easily customize these PowerPoint Presentations based on the requirements of the course you are teaching.

· Instructor’s guide with solutions to all review questions and steps to complete all the exercises.

· Part, Assembly, and Drawing files of all tutorials and exercises used in this textbook.

· Course outline. The course outline clearly indicates which sections are to be taught in the introduction or basic class and which sections are for advanced class. This allows you to easily select the topics to be taught in your course.

· Student projects.

· Class tests that you can use as the "end of the course" tests.

Please contact the author at stickoo@calumet.purdue.edu or tickoo@cadcim.com to access all these teaching aids. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

What do you get for $69 ?
I am a new user of SolidWorks, approximately 14 months. Before I used Pro/E, five years. I purchased this book by Sham. I also purchased a SolidWorks 2003 book by Planchard and Planchard. I wanted to learn SolidWorks and to understand the differences between 2003 and 2004. My company will eventual move to 2004.

I read reviews on this book; some good and some not so good. In general the book is OK. Nothing great, "not a five star book", but not a one star. The graphics are fine, but I did fine a few mistakes in the menus, and screen shots that are common for 2003. I did you use any of the supplementary materials.

I not sure if the 2004 information is correct until we switch. The book does assume that you have previous knowledge of design and jumps from a to z in numerous locations. It is not a step by step book.

I question Sham's five star ratings. They sound like he walks on water, also read his reviews on his Pro/E books, in my opinion this is not a five star.

I agree with another reviewer that there is someone out there that is writing bad reviews for both Sham and Planchard. Each book has its strengths. I purchased a few of the Planchard and Planchard books and was very happy in certain areas.

A good buy!
I got hold of this book recently and was amazed by the quality of book the author has produced on SolidWorks 2004.

This book has helped me a lot in learning SolidWorks 2004. The blend of graphics and text helps the reader to learn SolidWorks 2004 efficiently.

Yes, the free learning material that comes with this book is very helpful. I recommend this book to all the SolidWorks users.

***Great book from beginner to advance, FULL REVIEW***
Much like most of you, I was very skeptical about chosing this book. I usually try to base my opinions on previous reviews, however I noticed that some very not very happy with the book. I took the risk and bought it. I am currently in my last semester of Mechanical Engineering technology here in Montreal. The book itself is aimed at people with no previous knowledge of the software to advanced users, as it goes from learning basic 2D sketches from scratch to complex 3D Assemblies. One thing I did not like however is that the author would go on explaining examples in words and lacked some key illustrations in the tutorials. For example he would say Draw a line from the outer arc without specifying which one, meanwhile there are 3 outer arcs. That sort of thing. Some more illustrations would have been helpful. The other thing I found, it is a BIG plus to have previous experience with autocad and / or drafting knowledge. The author automatically assumes you have a certain knowledge such as "what a datum is" and such. However if your patient, things are fairly well explained however there is some repetition. The reader quickly realises that solidworks truly is a powerful program and that possibilities are endless. There are examples at the end of each chapter as well as theory review questions to help out. The examples themselves are quite good, and ALL the material learnt in that chapter goes into them. Now for those of you who haved previously used previous versions of Soliworks, what I liked is that the author would put a note wherever there were new features of 2004. Overall, I was happy with this book, there is a lot of knowledge you can learn for 70$. Keep in mind, I do recommend most of you freshen up on your engineering terms if you've been out of the field for THAT long as it is a big help in understanding key parts of the book. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on MSN under yossidre@hotmail.com . Hope this helps some of you make your choice.

good way to learn
I like the tutorials in this book... learned a lot from them. Tips also help in additional knowledge. In all a good reference book to learn solid works 2004.

Using it without any problem
I must have been among the first batch of buyers of this book because I received it in the second week of November. Since then, I am using this book day in and day out without any problem. In fact, I rate this book among the top few books I have read. The method of using automatic mirroring that I learnt from this book has increased my productivity because most of the components that I design require that technique. Then I received the learning resources like drawings, answers to exercises, etc from the publisher. This made this book without any doubt the best book I have ever read.

But what I see on amazon is that as soon as someone writes a good review about this book, someone else writes a 1 or 2 star review, which is totally fake. I can bet the person writing these 1 or 2 star reviews has not even seen this book, forget about reading it. Well... I cant do anything about it, but I wanted to write a review so that I could express my views about this book. I really liked this book and am sure everyone who uses this book will learn a lot from it. Take my words on it!!! ... Read more