2 comments about Mechanics of Materials.

1. I bought this book as a supplementary reference for mechanics of materials, which I do at my job. The book is well written, with plenty of example problems sprinkled throughout. I also found this book to be very comprehensive. For example, I found material on the mechanics of shrink wrapping, which I don't see in many other books on strength of materials. The only thing I would fault is that some of the chapters are too long and would have been better from a pedogical standpoint if they'd been broken up into smaller chapters. In particular, Chapter 7 on beam stresses could have been divided into separate chapters concentrating on pure bending and transverse loading. That way, a discussion of pure bending leads naturally into transverse loading. Instead, these topics are sort of thrown together into one big chapter, overwhelming the student. But overall, it's an excellent volume. Given a choice, I'd recommend Beer and Johnston, but you won't go wrong with Riley et al. either.



2. This book was written for seasoned professionals. I am a engineering student, and I depend on this book to help me understand mechanics of materials, but it simply doesn't do this. The authors of the book assume that all readers already know the material. It is extremely frustrating to read this book. The example problems are ambigous. The reading simply does not prepare the reader for the problems at the end of each chapter. The only reason why I give this book two stars is because they have very good visual illustrations.

3 comments about Thermodynamics, Statistical Thermodynamics, and Kinetics.

1. Buy Levines book on physical chemistry that is a much better text. I am not saying that is is the best because I have not read every thermo book but if you want good advice, then take my word and buy Levines book. It seems as though engels text has not been edited or proofread enough or maybe not at all. I think he just solved all the problems once and published it. There a numerous times in which he trys to make problems tricky by wording it unclearly, thinking he is smart or something, and the numerical answer he has in the back will be completely wrong. There is one problem I remember where he asks you to find the atomic weight of an atom and his answer is 1235 kg/mol or something ridiculous like that. Most of the time I can see where he made his mistakes, and notice that he tries to trick students and ends up fooling himself. Some people like texts because they are not thorough and make it easy to read a hard subject, so they don't care. But this guys just leaves things out completely.



2. This book is suitable for a themodynamics course in physical chemistry, in that gives a basic thermo course without the quantum portion in it, leaving that for a separate book. This book is a long way from the mathmatic rigor found in the Atkins text. The Atkins text was famous for its detailed proofs and brilliant math, but lacks a user-friendly feel. This book was user friendly but did not give details that could lend itself further study or understanding. If you are using this text, Mcquarrie's text is dated but is a wonderful suppliment to this text, it gives more detail where needed filling in the gaps where this text generally errs toward simplicity.
   The best thing about this book is its simplicity and its readability. The worst thing about this book is its simplicity because it does not explain in detail why the mathmatical model is the way it is because of the physical interactions.



3. As an undergraduate chemistry major, this is the first of my textbooks that I have sold after the course was over. The book does an adequate job of explaining the basics of thermodynamics and the macroscopic view of physical chemistry, but has some severe limitations. Equations are poorly organized and can be very difficult to find when you're searching for them, and the relationships between equations are often difficult to discern (a concept that seemed to me very central to undergraduate Pchem). The worst part of the book, however, is that it is a poorly edited first edition. Many of the problems in the back (and their accompanying answers) have been pulled from an out of print book by Gilbert Castellan, but the tables in the back have been updated with current numbers. This results in occasional correct answers that do not match the answers in the book.
   
   If your professor requires it, you're probably going have to buy it anyway, but if you're interested in a basic physical chemistry reference you're probably better off with Atkins.

5 comments about Engineering Mechanics: Statics (5th Edition).

1. Although the basics of statics is explained in each chapter, this doesn't help answer the more complicated section and review questions in each chapter. The examples were too simple and very few were given. I found myself refering back to my calculus textbook to get a more in depth explaination of the topics. And even though every other question had an answer in the back of the book (which is typical of most textbooks), that didn't help with the actual step by step solution of the question. You're left on your own to dig through the book to piece together a solution for each problem. A student solutions manual would be helpful. I would not recommend this book if you plan on using it in a self taught enviroment.



2. I agree with the earlier comments regarding the necessity to have to dig through the book to find the answers and rarely coming up with them. The examples are way too simplified to help with the homework unless you have a friend or relative or teacher who can explain the steps (I was not so lucky). This book is more frustrating than challenging and its only saving grace would be a student solutions manual. If forced to use this book, I would take a vector algebra course and make sure you got an A in physics first.



3. either this class or this book completely changed my mind about statics. The concepts are fairly easy to follow, that is until you get to the problems which are too difficult. I had a tutor for 4 hrs a week, just to get through the impossible problems and try to make sense of the actual problems i would face in exams. get another book to help you out... or brave the impossible



4. I notice many reviews complaining that this text doesn't have enough information to help you through the many many problems that it contains. While I agree with this statement, this book works on a completely new level, perhaps to the authors intention. First off, it's Statics, so the entire course will be about solving problems engineers often find themselves. This isn't so much a book cluttered with a thousand pages of mostly useless information, it tells you what you need to get started and then expects you to solve the problems logically.
   
   My advise to anyone purchasing this book, read the chapters before the classes, they are short and won't take much time. The instructor I had using this book used the lecture time to work out in class assignments via the problems after each section, and then assigned homework to reaffirm what we have learned. The book works better as a workbook than a textbook, it expects that by this point you have taken enough Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry to understand what they're talking about.



5. If you're a college student or anyone for that fact, don't bother buying this book. All that you will get is just a long list of problems. Do yourself a favor save yourself $60 or whatever amount of money and xerox the problems that you will need for your classes. There's nothing in this text that you can't find in a good physics book.

3 comments about Statics and Strength of Materials.

1. As a college instructor, I try to choose texts based on quality, but with consideration of price. I thought this book was a good compromise, but wish I had kept my previous text. This has way too many errors for a 2nd edition, and has received considerable critisism from my students for being hard to follow. There are better choices out there.



2. I have used the first edition and was generally pleased. The second edition, however, is unacceptable. The rewrite added a few interesting and a few less useful topics. The problems at the end of each section were changed but the answer key referred, in many cases, to the the first edition. Sometimes the solutions were large deviations from the stated problem. There were occasional proof reading errors, far too many for a major text. The students were frequently frustrated in their efforts to justify the answer to the problem as stated.



3. This book gets its point across. It is a textbook and that is what it is supposed to do. It gives you everything you need to be successful in the class you are taking, though I only used the second half about the strengths of different materials. The first half, which is statics, could be really difficult to understand using this book, though it is a hard subject to understand period.

5 comments about Reinforced Concrete: Mechanics and Design (5th Edition).

1. I have the 2nd edition of this book which I loved. This edition is excellent and is easily the best text on Reinforced Concrete there is anywhere.



2. This book is the best for those who want a deeper understanding of reinforced concrete design.Since the author presents a step by step way to introduce the concepts,the reader is able to get a more detailed information and retents more concepts instead of procedures



3. Reinforced Concrete: Mechanics and Design (4th Edition) (Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)
   
   I think this book is very good quality, and shipping is not bad...



4. I receipt the book very quikly and in excelent conditios of use, as a new book.



5. This is my favorite Concrete design book of all time. It is my first reference to anything regarding design. It is an excellent reference for students and engineers as well. I used it a lot for my graduate classes and I always use it in my office. Highly recommended!!

5 comments about Four Laws That Drive the Universe.

1. This book is clearly written, presenting the zeroth law, first law, second law and third law of thermodynamics taking the mystery out of the usual presentations of this subject.
   Professor Atkins presents the thermodynamic laws starting with comparisons with mechanical systems that most people would understand and builds upon that for an easily understood treatise on the subject matter.



2. This book is unevenly written. Much of it would be of value to the college-educated reader, much of it would not.
   
   I have a doctorate in physical chemistry (Atkins' field) and could work through it fairly easily. I would not recommend it to my daughter (doctorate in biochemistry) and I am not sure about recommending it to my son (doctorate in solid state physics).
   
   The discussion of temperatures below the absolute zero appears to have been put in just to be cute.



3. This presentation of an intrinsically interesting topic is a logically correct derivation - which seems very important to the author - but to what purpose? To understand it the reader has to be comfortable with subtle concepts of physics, and to enjoy it the reader has to appreciate a development presented as if for a mathematical proof, with apologies if any items are mentioned out of order. But for someone with that level of scientific interest and background, it doesn't offer any insights or new ways of looking at the topics. For instance, the author distinguishes between energy and enthalpy at an early stage, and requires the reader to know or very quickly learn the concept of work as force times distance. But then there's no reward for mastering the distinction and the reader is left to wonder why it's important. I'm a physicist and I greatly enjoy well written popular or semi-popular science books. This wasn't one of them.



4. To be fair, Atkins sets himself a difficult task: make thermodynamics palatable, and even tasty, to a general audience. I probably represent his target audience: I am college educated, and I worked for a couple of years as a biochemistry technician. I keep up with science topics through Scientific American and several web sites. And I enjoy the Science Channel whenever the cosmology shows are on. But I don't possess deep physics knowledge, save for dimly remembered college physics and chemistry courses.
   
   Does Atkins succeed? Mostly yes, but I must offer some caveats. This text does presume some relevant background at the college level. And, although Atkins' prose is readable, he occasionally misses a tone and examples that might better hold the reader's interest. Still, on balance, the presentation works, and at least stays focused on preparing the main ingredients.
   
   Where does Atkins get soggy? He only rarely capitalizes on the wow factor. He says that thermodynamics is relevant to each and every one of us in our lives. He's right. But his examples are a bit lifeless and the allusions to "regular life" are few. When he does bring levity and relevance, it resonates rather well. But the reader is left to bring his or her own imagination to the text and create most such insights for oneself. As I am also an artist, technical writer, and recently a business analyst, I found many "ah ha!" moments to ponder. But these were mostly of my own making, with only the barest guidance from the author.
   
   Finally, what's missing? Atkins might have alluded more thoroughly to the world of information theory. He only hints about this fascinating subject. Atkins might have explored the micro-states of matter with more gusto. Also barely mentioned was the notion of efficiency, although at a micro level this has great meaning for those working in nanotechnology. And there was no indication of how such principles must also apply to the living world, the systems we call organisms. For my money, some appetizers and desserts would have engendered more enthusiasm from this reader.
   
   Nevertheless, I found the book helpful, readable, and generally enjoyable. And that is no small thing for such a subject. If I don't grant it five stars, it's not because of what is there, but rather what is not.



5. Compact and concise review of 4 laws of thermodynamics. Book explains the laws easily, using insightful examples, so almost anyone could read it.

5 comments about Modern Welding.

1. As advertised, this book is comprehensive in scope - even the most esoteric forms of industrial welding are covered. It is a good reference text, but probably not a good beginner's how-to book. As a welding amateur, this book expanded my knowledge of the subject tremendously. The text is oriented more towards commercial and industrial welding that amateur welding.

   One subject that is not covered that would have been most helpful is the electrical needs of welding equipment and how they are or can be met.




2. Get started SAFELY in any type of welding: Gas, Mig, Tig, or Stick. Use this book to fill in any gaps in basic formal training (such as from a local Community College, which is highly recommended for learning proper techniques) or knowledge. The book is filled with outstandingly detailed illustrations, tables and pictures that cover the different machine particulars, proper set ups and hand movement techniques that will allow anyone to produce consistantly strong welds on just about any material. Check it out: this book has so much information, and is layed out in such a way that it is easily worth twice the asking price!



3. I purchased Modern Welding- the "paperback" version, used off of Amazon, however, when it arrived today I was dismayed to discover that the "paperback" edtion is a Lab Manual, that is, a quiz that accompanies the text book. Well, I am out some cash and back at square one- I still need a copy of Modern Welding, too bad Amzon did not state that there is no Paperback version of Modern Welding.



4. Excelente la atención de Amazon. El libro: Muy bueno, es un compendio del arte de la soldadura que ayudará a cualquiera que desee introducirse en este campo. Contiene grán cantidad de información tanto de equipos como de procesos y técnicas. Desearía si que tuviese un poco mas de profundidad en el tema de la soldadura por resistencia del aluminio. Soy ingeniero mecánico, grán parte de mi trabajo tiene relación con soldadura y recomiendo de todas maneras leer este libro.



5. the book beat other books from Alibris and was the right book unlike Alibris

1 comments about Integrated Science.

1. Still in shrink wrap and amazing how fast I got it! Very pleased with purchase and seller.

5 comments about Mechanics of Materials.

1. This book is awful. The writing style is terrible. I think the author needs to learn how to speak english. Here's a quote from the book:
   
   "Having found the principal stresses and their directions for an element in plane stress, we now consider the determination of the maximum shear stresses and the planes on which they act."
   
   Instead he SHOULD have written:
   "We will now find the maximum shear stresses."
   
   The whole book is like this. It is far too wordy. This book could be a lot smaller if the author didn't try to make everything so complicated.



2. The coverage of the material is excellent. The discussions of the various techniques are rational and insightful. The author is a seasoned engineer/academician who really understands mechanics, and knows how to convey its flavor to the reader.
   Timoshenko's classic "Strength of Materials" covers most topics that are relevant to an engineer; however it comes with a "bag of tricks" and is difficult to follow. Gere's book takes a step back by eliminating certain advanced topics, and methodically explains the principles and techniques of mechanics.



3. 
   This is a comprehensive, enlightening and reader-friendly textbook on mechanics of materials. This excellent book is full of worked examples, illustrations and equations to help students relate to the fundamental concepts in mechanics of materials. The book provides a great foundation in this subject for undergraduate engineers. The book is well organized and well written with clear and easy to follow explanations.
   
   The book is especially useful for reference, as it explains the derivations and many forms of complex equations in a step-by-step and simple to understand format.
   Overall, one of the best books on mechanics of materials particularly for those that need a gentle introduction to stress and strain analysis.



4. I am an instructor of an introductory course on mechanics of materials. I used this textbook by Gere and another textbook with the same title by Roy R. Craig, Jr. as my references. I find the textbook by Craig has a much better content structure than this text. For example, this text splits Stress Concentrations, Energy Methods and Indeterminate Problems into subsections of different chapters which is rather annoying. These topics should be a complete chapter of itself for clarity.



5. This textbook made up for my (nice, but) boring professor. He'd rush through several important lessons, so I'd just read them and teach myself from this book. Every chapter had excellent examples that were thoroughly explained, and I didn't find any errors. Answers are in the back, so if you're motivated, you can even learn Mechanics of Materials without any guidance from a professor.

5 comments about An Introduction to Thermal Physics.

1. This is a well written textbook. I hadn't thought this when I first used it, but after reading other books on the subject, I realized that this is the best there is. Between reading the text and doing the chapter problems, you should be able to develop a good understanding of thermodynamics and statistical physics.



2. This text is very well written with clear explanations and succinct abstractions to aid in thinking about the material. The only shortcoming is the lack of worked problems which can be gotten from any other text. If you can't picture the processes of thermo well enough to set up a problem correctly, then give this book a try. I use it along with Baierlein's book and Fermi's Dover version.



3. the time arrived on time, and was in the condition that the seller stated.



4. Great book, scratch that, fantastic book. Compared to my HJ Pain Waves and Vibrations book, it's absolutely incredible. The author goes through each step clearly, and as well as explaining how he does it, explains why he does it. So many books today just give derivations(HJ Pain) and never actually explain why they do them. A must have if your into thermal physics, or if you need it for a class. Probably the latter.



5. As a physics major going back to school after a long hiatus, I needed this book to review for a thermal physics class. I wanted to study on my own in preparation for the course, but I am having trouble with the subject, only because I don't know if my solutions are correct or not. specially the applied problems which have numerical answers, but the book does not provide a way to check them. It reads ok, it could use more examples; I think the author took the easy way out by omitting many examples that could clear up some of the confusions. Answers are a must for any textbook at this level,or any level for that matter.