5 comments about Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics, 2nd Edition.

1. I am both satisfied with amazon service and with the book.



2. The postulational approach is really great. This book tooks away all the question I had about the connection between thermodynamics and statistical physics. I think it's a good idea to read Fermi's thermodynamics also. To see how smart one can be when using thermodynamics.



3. Although the edition was correct, the book was a paperback when I specifically paid for hardbound. Even more frustrating was the fact that it was not eligible for return.



4. I've read Callen's book twice. It never gets old. I wish it went into greater depth on the connection between the thermodynamics theory as originally developed by Carnot, and the reformulation by Gibbs and Boltzmann. But even despite this omission I give it 5 stars.



5. Callen's axiomatic presentation of equilibrium thermodynamics inarguably is not only one of the best textbooks on thermodynamics specifically but also one of the most elegantly written science textbooks in general. The mathematical formalism of thermodynamics and its consequences are logically and completely espoused. Numerous problems are supplied throughout in an effort to complement and reinforce concepts. The putatively paradoxical statement: "generality is simultaneously the strength and weakness of thermodynamics" is succinctly "justified" in an appendix to the text: An Interpretative Postlude which discusses the underlying symmetries of the physical laws and their relationship to thermodynamic extremum principles. The spartan chapters on "thermostatistics" add insight to thermodynamics in a way that
   is similar in spirit to "atoms and molecules" in introductory undergraduate thermodynamics lectures and therefore, should not be necessarily dismissed.

1 comments about Understanding Textiles (7th Edition).

1. I had to get this book for my textiles class. The book is done in a rather boring format (it is pretty much just a reference book, what did I expect?!) but it was extremely useful for that class and for many more I have taken. Interesting tidbits throughout the book if you are at all interested in fashion and textiles.

No comments about Engineering Design: A Materials and Processing Approach.

5 comments about Understanding Thermodynamics.

1. This book is an excellent conceptual introduction to thermodynamics. It helps you to get the "big picture" without getting into mathematical details. The first few chapters are suitable for high-school students that are interested in the fundamental concepts and laws of thermodynamics.



2. Van Ness cures the common problem of vapid thermodynamics texts by clearly explaining the basics and then stopping.
   
   His little book is an easy read, and firmly roots the student in the reality of what thermodynamic laws and equations actually mean. Most importantly, van Ness repeatedly makes clear that thermodynamics is about imaginary processes that will never occur in real machines.
   
   This should be the first week's read of every course in thermo.



3. First, skip over the silly introductory analogy of a little kid playing with marbles or whatever. But then it gets good. Aside from introducing an equation (p.28) including the variable S without even defining, let alone explaining, it, the 1st and 2nd law are explained very lucidly and with much care (I am a graduate electrical engineer with a full-semester thermodynamics course under my belt who's forgotten most of the subject). Entropy is very well dealt with. The last part of the book deals with thermodynamics vs statistical mechanics & there it gets pretty rough. I didn't try to assimilate too much of that part, not being as intetersted, but it's rigorous and doubtlessly also a fine exposition.
   
   This book is certainly worth the small price and a chunk of your time.



4. Who knew that thermodynamics could actually be entertaining? This book is a joy to read regardless of your technical background or interests. It isn't meant to be a text, or even a demonstration of the subject's importance, but, rather, an invocation of the sheer wonder that can lie in the most mundane things if only you can look at them from the viewpoint that thermodynamics offers.



5. This thin book is a must-have for anyone who wants to understand thermodynamics. A better title for this book may be `Thermodynamics Companion'. This it not a stand alone text, but a supplement to a text book or more advanced reference. This author explains in detail (and without a lot of mathematical mumbo-jumbo) the basics of thermodynamics. It is geared toward the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate student in engineering or physics who wants to understand thermo. The mathematics is simple (anyone with a little knowledge of calculus can handle it), so the reader won't get bogged down in the equations. If you really want to get a handle on what thermo means (beyond just manipulating equations), this would be a great place to start. This book contains the best discussion of entropy that I've ever found. The notion of entropy is a difficult one for many new to thermo. It is easy to learn how to manipulate the equations, another thing to really understand what they mean. The latter is the author's goal in this book, and he has succeeded. At less than $8, this is a no-brainer.

5 comments about Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles.

1. This book is an excellent introduction to Quantum Physics. This book gives the non-expert reader an insight into the tremendous explanatory power of quantum mechanics. It describes why and how Quantum Mechanics was developed, and it is primarily concerned with the understanding of concepts and ideas, rather than focusing on mathematical techniques. For this reason it might appear a little verbose to some readers.

   The first five chapters gives the reader a good insight into the history of Quantum Physics and to why classical mechanics was insufficient. Chapter 6 is an excellent overview of how to solve the Schroedinger Equation in a few specific cases, at the same time as the reader is given a very good "feeling" for how Quantum Mechanics works. The remainder of the chapters focuses on specific situations, applications and phenomena's.

   There are plenty of books that use less mathematics, but I do not believe they give a good understanding of the topic. There are also plenty of books that uses a lot more complex mathematics, but they are not for beginners. I recommend this book as an introduction to Quantum Physics for undergraduate physics students, engineers, science professionals, and mathematically literate others.

   For reference, these are the chapters in the book:
   (1) Thermal Radiation and Plank's Postulate
   (2) Photons--Particlelike Properties of Radiation
   (3) De Broglie's Postulate--Wavelike Properties of Particles
   (4) Bohr's Model of the Atom
   (5) Schroedinger's Theory of Quantum Mechanics
   (6) Solutions of Time-Independent Schroedinger Equations
   (7) One-Electron Atoms
   (8) Magnetic Dipole Moments, Spin, and Transition Rates
   (9) Multielectron Atoms--Ground States and X-Ray Excitations
   (10) Multielectron Atoms--Optical Excitations
   (11) Quantum Statistics
   (12) Molecules
   (13) Solids--Conductors and Semiconductors
   (14) Solids--Superconductors and Magnetic Properties
   (15) Nuclear Models
   (16) Nuclear Decay and Nuclear Reactions
   (17) Introduction to Elementary Particles
   (18) More Elementary Particles

   I liked Appendix A, "The Special Theory of Relativity". In only sixteen pages, the authors succeed to correctly explain the special theory of relativity. I also liked Appendix C, "The Boltzmann Distribution", which was good concise description of classical statistical mechanics (you need to understand it, to understand why it was not good enough).




2. This book was confusing, chaotic, and utterly disapointing. If your professor assigns this book I suggest you do not buy it but borrow from a friend. Instead use Griffiths to learn QM. Since moving onto graduate school I have learned just how little I learned from this book. Moreover, I was confused about simple issues in QM which Cohen-Tannoudji quickly and clearly dispelled. This book actually hurt my education. I can not for the life of me understand how anyone could give this book 3, 4, or even 5 stars.



3. This book catches my attention to a point that I cannot put it down until I have finished a chapter. It is true that the book is focused on understanding the physical concepts with little math...this can be confusing at times...but I still think highly of it.



4. This is an awesome physcis book. It really allowed me to wrap my mind around some of them really big concepts. Sometimes my brain hurt! But I kept reading, just knowing it would make me smarter than George. He thinks he knows everything but he doesn't. Anyway, the book is better than a basket of spare ribs with extra sauce!



5. I think this book is surely meant to go along with a class, I don't think it is entirely suited for independent study. The reason I feel this is that the discussion questions at the end of each chapter seem to be asking about stuff that isn't really addressed in the chapter, and requires additional knowledge unrelated to what is given in the book to answer. Also, there are no solutions to the practice problems, so you will never be able to test your own accuracy. I really believe in having solutions in the back of the book, otherwise how are you to rate your own progress and understanding? In concert with a course however and with a teacher to fill in any information gaps, I think this is a fine book! All the explanations seem clear, and the steps in the derivation processes are easy to follow!

5 comments about Thermodynamics.

1. fermi presents thermodynamics with beutiful economy. many other authors obfuscate the subject with extraneous detail, often missing the most important points. fermi misses absolutely nothing of importance, but does not weigh down his explanations with ramblings or tangents either. he presents the bare core of thermodynamics.

   though the following analogy is somewhat cheesy, i find it appropriate: most authors who have written on thermo are like beginning kung fu students who do all sorts of fancy moves, backflips, and sommersaults but who ultimately land on their behinds. fermi is like the grand master who uses a stunning sparsity of moves, but each one is necessary and each one is enough. in the end, his competition doesn't stand a chance. he's just that good.




2. Thanks for the previous reviewers. Their comments are absolutely correct. This is one of the best book on thermodynamics!

   The book is small in size, but contains clear and comprehensive explanations of the subject.

   There is usually something I don't like in a book. However, I cannot find a single negative thing about this one. It is that good!




3. These lectures by Enrico Fermi make great reading for undergraduates in chemistry or physics, particularly those undergoing the rigors of physical chemistry and chemical thermodynamics. Fermi writes with clarity, always carefully laying the appropriate groundwork for each topic.

   The mathematics assumes familiarity with calculus, including partial differentiation. Fermi provides clear explanations and motivation for the mathematics and the derivations are complete and easy to follow. For example, he carefully explained the form of a perfect differential of two variables and how it can be more readily integrated. I appreciated this help.

   The first four chapters will be familiar to students of physics: Thermodynamic Systems, First Law of Thermodynamics, Second Law of Thermodynamics, and Entropy. The derivation of the Clapeyron equation and the Van der Waals equation may be new to some students.

   Thereafter, the text begins to look more like physical chemistry with chapters titled Thermodynamic Potentials, Gaseous Reactions, Thermodynamics of Dilute Solutions, and the Entropy Constant. I found these last chapters to be more difficult, but not overly so.

   At some points Thermodynamics becomes a real page-turner, but not in the sense of a fast-paced action story. The page-turning is necessary to retrieve earlier mathematical expressions. Occasionally, you will encounter statements like "the expression for the free energy is immediately obtained from equations (111), (29), and (86)." Fermi does not allow the reader to forget earlier derivations and discussions.

   If your familiarity with thermodynamics is limited (or now foggy due to the passage of years), I suggest first reading Understanding Thermodynamics by H. C. Van Ness. This 100-page book, a series of lectures, is an excellent introduction to thermodynamics from an engineering and physics perspective. It corresponds to the first four chapters of Fermi's text.




4. This book is somewhat outdated. The fundamental concepts are still there and are pretty clear, but there are still things that are assumed of the reader. These assumptions are based on the fact that the reader has knowledge of thermodynamics already. This is actually stated at the beginning of the book. If you are an undergrad taking a thermo class, I do not think this would be a good book to help you in understanding this subject more completely.



5. I am a recently retired electrical engineer.
   
   One goal I have had for retirement is to try to become knowledgable about energy, on account of it being in my view the most crucial technical issue that will determine the well-being or lack thereof of mankind in the coming years.
   
   As I have read various articles and books on contemporary energy topics, it dawned on me that I need to get a better grounding in thermodynamics and chemistry.
   
   I had one course in thermodynamics in school, but, as an EE, I think I just learned it well enough to pass the tests without understanding it in depth.
   
   There is an excellent book on renewable energy called "Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes" that covers the gamut of energy alternatives, and is geared toward someone with a science/engineering background, as compared to the many books on the topic of energy that are written at a layman's level.
   
   There is some good material in the early chapters of that book on thermodynamics and heat engines. However, I felt like I should get a few additional books on thermodynamics to make sure I have a good grasp of the fundamentals.
   
   Fermi's book has proved to be very useful in that regard. I have only gone through the chapters on the 1st & second laws and entropy, which I think may be all I need to know for now.
   
   I was concerned that a book by Fermi might be over my head.
   
   To my delight, I found that is not the case. For me, the level of difficulty was just right- he does not cut corners, but it is at a level where I think most undergraduate engineering students would be able to grasp it without tremendous agony. But, although it is not overly abstract, Fermi approaches the subject from a physicist's perspective, which is: Whatever concept he is covering, he doesn't pull it out of a hat, he explains where it comes from.
   
   
   I believe everything I ever did in my engineering career that was of substance was in an area where I had a decent grasp of the origins of the formulas and concepts I was working with.
   
   Fermi's book is the most valuable tool I have found to get such a grounding in the basic laws of thermodynamics.
   
   I have only read through the chapter on entropy- I'm not sure whether I will need the rest of the material, but I will probably discover before too long that the answer is yes.
   
   I now feel better prepared to read up on practical heat engines. I believe it will be easier to learn such material and I will understand it better on account of having gotten the fundamentals from Fermi's book.

1 comments about Dynamics: Analysis and Design of Systems in Motion.

1. very difficult to follow.
   The examples are easy enough to follow, but the homework is difficult.
   Not having the answers in the back of the book, also makes it difficult.
   
   There are answers online, but to selected problems only, and they are not always right.

2 comments about Machining Fundamentals.

1. Excellent textbook. This book has great illustrations and detailed instructions on how to do many of the setups for basic machining. Also, each section has the particular safety issues highlighted in red. Several references regarding cutting feeds and speeds to hardness conversions are found in the back. The workbook is also great for reinforcing the topics. So far the best text I have used.



2. This is book contains basic general knowledge as to what tools might be in a shop, and what it might be used for. It has very little/or no machining training/procedures. If you are looking for procedures/tasks, this isnt the book to get.

5 comments about Mechanics of Aircraft Structures.

1. I was required to purchase this book for my Junior level A&AE Structural Analysis Course. Chock full of theory and derivations, it doesn't set forth a clear path for learning, but rather a thicket in which problems sets are solved by wildly searching backward in the book for equations and examples in order to help make some sense of the problem at hand. While the book is full of good problems, the concepts tested in the problems are not always clearly explained (What the heck is shear flow anyway?).
   
   This book is recommended as a junior or senior level structures text, but how well it is received depends highly upon the Professor's lecture style (Straight from the text?(=bad) or supplemental to the text?(=not as bad)).
   
   The Bad outweigh the Good.



2. I had to use this book in my structures class. I had no prior experience with structures before, and this book was unable to fill the gap. As a result, I've got a D in a class, and I will have to re-take it. If you have to use the Sun's book, supplement it with "Aircraft structures for engineering students" 3rd ed by T.H.G. Megson ISBN 0-340-70588-4. It follows the same notation as Sun (even some drawings are identical), and it's much, much, much more thorough. The Sun's book by itself can be useful only to people with prior experience with structures who just have to use this particular book.



3. This is the required book for my graduate class on structures. Its best if you already have a familiarity with the basic concepts of stress and strain, torsion, bending, etc. It has good examples, though, and the problems at the end of the chapter are not too hard (tho, they do required a lot of algebra and plug-and-chug). There are not selected answers in the back.
   If you're looking for a good basic book on structures, this one probably isn't for you.
   Also, they don't actually talk a whole lot about applications to aircraft structures. What the book DOES do is cover the basic theories that one would need to start to analyze aircraft structures. It does not cover design of aircraft structures.



4. This book was only a little help. It doesn't clearly explain the material. If you are learning only from the book, you will most likely be lost. It was an alright suppliment to the lecture and helped a little on homework, but I would not recommend the book if it is not required.



5. I won't go into much detail about the frustrating and inadequate nature of this book, as many others have already done so. Basically, all you need to know about this book is that it is a waste of time. The author rarely explains anything with sufficient detail and seems to expect you to already know an incredible amount about aircraft structures. My TA even told us that we had better come to class every day, because the textbook is pretty much worthless.
   
   I wondered why anyone would force students to waste money on a book that is cleary insufficient, but then I recognized the author's name. It seems the only reason why I am forced to buy this book is because the author is a professor at my school.
   
   Just stay away from this book if you can.

5 comments about Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Textbook for Materials Science (4-Vol Set).

1. In the 70's and 80's the book by Hirsch et al. was the TEM reference tome, and Eddington's book the applications manual.

   Time has marched on, and this book is the new replacement for both!

   Carter and Williams wrote a very easy to read, yet well detailed, text and reference for TEM. They cover quite literally everything, in just the right level of detail for 1st or 2nd year grad students.

   This book is the best way to get a quick grasp of TEM.




2. Good for both beginners and advanced users. Easy to read and well organized. It looks like there are some mistakes in some equations but it is the best TEM book available.



3. This 4-volume set of paperback books provides a thorough and readable introduction to the science and practice of TEM (transmission electron microscopy). The text is divided into short, digestable sections, each accompanied by figures, graphs and plots. The equations are numerous, but well explained and presented with minimal derivations but full explanations. The books are divided into concise sections making it easy for the reader to find what he/she needs. Overall, a perfect textbook to learn about TEM, and as a reference for those more experienced in this field.



4. Great book and fast delivery.
   Book is in very good condition and very good service.



5. There are a number of books on TEM, and many are good. However, this book provides a fresh angle for someone learning the subject for the first time because it focuses on what you need to know in order to carry out experiments. Obviously, there is a lot of theory about lenses and scattering. However, there are also dozens of "factoids" such as common lens settings, and most the frequent errors in field emission guns -- and how to handle those errors. My mixing the practical day to day technician's data with the more theoretical underpinning which is my wont, I found it got me up to speed and functional is a very short time. Now experieience with TEMs can carry me the rest of the way.