5 comments about Fluid Mechanics with Student CD (McGraw-Hill Series in Mechanical Engineering).

1. This book represents my first foray into fluid mechanics. I don't really read my textbooks too much--in general I find them boring and hard to learn from--but I have done the many of the problems from the first few chapters. While the problems are good and there are a lot of them in each chapter, for the most part they are formulaic and repetative. While this is good for learning the material at first, it does get tedious after a while. For the purposes of a class like the one I'm in, this textbook does well, although I think I would need better if I were attempting to learn this material on my own.



2. This book is one of the most stimulating books on fluid mechanics that I have come across. It is very carefully written and well organized. The physics behind the phenomena are vividly explained. The subject is, mathematically not difficul. Excellent problems at the end of each chapter.



3. I am currently taking Fluid Mechanics in pursuit of a ME degree. The teacher suddenly decided to switch to this book after previous teachers used the cengel book. When the semester is over, I will be selling back this one and i will buy the cengel book. The tables are hard to find in the back, the cengel book makes it easier to find them. The inside covers are the most valuable pages for conversions..etc, this book does not use them at all, All of the chapters do not directly explain any concepts, or give any examples worth going through...overall very bad book, do not buy it unless you have to



4. Lots of good problems but lacks enough explanations in some cases, and only decent derivations for equations.



5. Processing and Shipping took a long time. Got it on the last day before I was suppose to contact Amazon about the product not showing up

5 comments about Probabilistic Robotics (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents).

1. The authors took 6 years to write this book. And it shows. This is a mindblowing tour through the algorithms used at the cutting edge of Robotics.
   
   What is good
   
   1. Every algorithm has descriptive text, mathematical derivations AND pseudo code. More importantly it all meshes into a cohesive whole.
   
   2. The progression of chapters is excellent, starting with basic algorithms and proceeding to more advanced/refined algorithms.
   
   3.There is a consistent practical focus with algorithms being explained in the context of solving real world problems in robotics.
   
   4. The exercises are few in number , but are *perfect* to illuminate each chapter's ideas and encourage the reader to start thinking on his own.
   
   5. There is a comprehensive errata page on the book's website.
   
   6. Last but not least, the tone of the writing is very engaging. The reader is not talked down to. It is almost as if the authors were in your study carefully guiding you through an intellectual wonderland.
   
   The bad.
   Hmmm i can't think of anything. It is great book. I just wish the authors would write MORE books like this :-)
   
   
   
   About the only caveat is that a reader should have *some* degree of mathematical insight before attempting this book. The authors do cover elementary probability theory etc in the initial chapters, and they do a good job given the space constraints. But in my opinion if you have absolutely no experience in probability theory or calculus, you should probably learn from other books and then tackle this one. This is, after all, a graduate level text.



2. i think this book is very helpful for beginner of probabilistic robotics.
   it has a lot of example and pictures :) for our understanding.
   easy to learning.
   If i met the chance to buy another book about probabilistic robotics, i am sure purchase this book.
   
   have a nice day~~



3. This is by far the best resource that I have found for collating a large number of internally consistent SLAM algorithms into a single volume. The book carefully leads the reader through the requirements of SLAM presenting one algorithm at a time, building upon the algorithms presented previously. This approach lends itself very well to develop-while-you-read. If you care to do so, I recommend reading it through once in its entirety and then starting over for the develop-while-you-read approach. The once through does a good job of presenting the big picture and giving you the opportunity to decide which primary SLAM path you prefer; Kalman and particle filtering are the two main approaches discussed. I'm currently implementing FastSLAM with particle filtering and have not run into any large hurdles using this book to lead the way.
   
   The only major challenge that I've encountered is that it assumes a very good understanding of probability distributions. A good college statistics book makes a good companion for this read.
   
   I also read Thrun's FastSLAM monograph. There's very little new information in that monograph which Probabilisitc Robotics doesn't already cover. After reading PR, Google becomes your best resource for finding the latest algorithms and code samples. Because even with the descriptive pseudo code algorithms, a perfect follow-up to this book would be "Probabilistic Robotics Implemented" with lots of code samples.



4. I consider this book the most valuable resource in the field! If you are really interested in implementing kalman filter localization, particle filter localization or SLAM algorithms, this book really will help you. This book was my reference during my Master Thesis and the algorithms are so comprenhensive that I hadn't any problem to put them running.
   I think the autors made a really good effort to explain complex mathematical concepts as clearly as possible. Great Job!



5. This is really an amazing book - it more than fulfilled my expectations.
   It starts from the very basics of probability theory and clearly derives
   Kalman Filtering, Particle Filtering, Probabilistic Motion and Probabilistic
   Perception in the first 6 chapters. From there it moves on to talk about
   Localization and Mapping completely separately (which I appreciated, since
   the two topics are far easier to comprehend independently) in chapters 7 and
   8 and then finally introduces SLAM (the main topic of the book) in chapter
   9. From there it goes on to discuss various SLAM algorithms and implementations,
   and finally rounds out with planning and control (that is, the practical
   application of SLAM algorithms).
   
   I can't imagine a more well-researched academic work. Every point is backed
   up with examples and illustrations, and every algorithm is derived rigorously.
   Even better, the mathematical derivations are set apart from the main text
   so that a more "casual" reader can skip over the derivations and still get
   some benefit from the text (and believe me, the math parts of this book are
   very involved!). The authors assume a working knowledge of trigonometry,
   calculus and linear algebra (although you could likely make some sense of the
   book even if you're rusty in any of these areas). However, since the book
   is about probability, you'll probably need some background in probability
   theory to get any value from this text. Chapter 2 contains a refresher on
   probability theory, but I doubt it would be enough to decipher the later
   chapters if you had no background in the subject. I found myself having to
   go back and look up the details of Bayes Rule and multivariate conditional
   probability more than once.
   
   My only gripe with this book is that each chapter includes suggested exercises
   (good) but no answers/cross-check (bad). Especially considering the open-ended
   nature of the exercises, it's almost not worth attempting them (or even reading
   them), since you'll never know if you got the right answer, or were even on the
   right track. There's no "student supplement" (at least not as I write this),
   so the exercises are fairly pointless.
   
   However, that aside, this is one of the best academic books I've read in a very
   long time. I had been struggling through academic papers from IEEE and ACM on
   the topic of SLAM, and only comprehending about half of it before I picked up
   "Probabilistic Robotics". After reading this book carefully (I actually had
   to read it twice to get it all to sink in), I'm actually zipping through the
   academic papers, and understanding everything I read. You couldn't ask for a
   better introduction to probabilistic robotics and SLAM.

5 comments about Engineering Mechanics - Statics (Engineering Mechanics).

1. Engineering mechanics by Meriam and Kraige provides an excellent treatment of the subject matter, providing that one has all the necessary tools to handle this course. This means to have your geometry, algebra, trig., physics, and calculus internally wired. If not, one has to do the deep reviews, spending time and energy at grasping the basic concepts.
   
   Also, if the discussion of the theory seems thin and problem sets seem unrepresentative, might I suggest another statics book by Riley and Sturges, 2nd ed. The exposition is expanded and provides clarity, the problem sets are a bit on the bland side, but the example sets provide reasonable representation to the problems in the book.
   
   But, of all the problem sets of all statics books I have seen, Meriam and Kraige has the most realistic graphics and real world stuff. If you can internalize this book, your other mechanics courses like mech. of materials, dynamics, and fluids will move much more smoothly.
   
   And, if a problem in the text appears impossible, it is always because of a misunderstanding of simpler concepts. It doesn't hurt being creative when problem solving. That is, to make additional sketches, draw diagrams, to QUESTION each and every part of the problem. To break apart or separate the problem into components and then mentally observing the parts under a "magnifying glass."
   
   This book is very challenging, and it definitely helps if you have an instructor who has energy to be able to MAKE CLEAR any concepts whether in class, through paper handouts, in person, or even through email. If your instructor is lazy, you know where most of the energy of effort will have to come from.
   
   Finally, if you has the drive, you can succeed. If your tank is low on gas, head for your next review station. Don't let any misunderstandings linger in your mind, siphoning your confidence, time, and energy. Sometimes, you gotta hike a mountain, going from review to review. You can do it.



2. I teach the honors section of combined Statics and Mechanics of Materials course at Penn State University. This book is fantastic. The students love it. It is both pretty and clearly written. The problems and examples are at a consistent level of difficulty, and the full range is covered. One drawback is that vectors are covered but not emphasized to the extent of component methods. I do not use the electronic resources because they are locked inside a Flash program making it difficult to adapt them to my lectures.



3. This is the worst book I have had to use so far in my studies as an engineer. The chapters are all extremely short ranging from 1-4 pages which means that it is very dense, concise, and rather hard to fully understand. The examples are all too simple compared to the homework problems to be useful and they do not fully explain how they get each answer. Homework problems range from easy to extremely difficult but they get hard real fast. The book gives the answers to all odd problems, but if you don't know how to do the problems, they're pretty useless.
   
   About the only good thing for this book is the fact that the homework problems are so hard that if you do fully master them and are able to complete them quickly and without help, you really don't need to worry too much about your exams.
   
   I you're required to get this book for your class I suggest getting a reference book to go with it or just study for a really long time.



4. I bought this book for my statics class, it is very confusing. Important and non-important things are mixed together so you don't even know what you should focus on. Example problems take some time to figure out, because not all the details are shown. All of the 'actual' problems are harder than the examples, which means solving them will take some luck and a lot of hours. Only the odd numbers have answers shown. There is no solutions manual, so if your stuck, you will stay stuck. The good thing is, though, the back of the book includes a lot of formulas regarding statics so it can be easily used as a reference.



5. I got the book a little less than a week and when I checked to see the inside of the book everything was in place. Not a scratch of tear, not even signs of wear.

4 comments about Advanced Calculus Demystified.

1. It's been a long time since I'd learned Calculus in H.S. and a bit in College -- when I needed a quick review, to do a couple of problems that cropped up at work, I stumbled across this book, and boy am I glad of that. Everything is explained clearly -- really clearly -- and sometimes with a touch of humor thrown in that makes the book so much more enjoyable to read.
   
   It was organized so well that I could immediately zoom in on just what I needed, and once I got to the right chapter, the info was well organized, well written, enabling me to review, get my answers, and apply it to the things I needed.
   
   Skimming other Calculus books in the bookstore, they were either too didactic, doing endless proofs (which I didn't really need...) or they were written so poorly that they didn't really help much. (Best way to compare books -- choose one topic, read about it in several books, see which book explains it best... this one did!) It stays true to the title "Demystified".
   
   If you're a bit beyond the intro level, such as in college, taking a math course or a few, this would be a great way to review before an exam, or a great way to get "another viewpoint" that might help you figure out what you're not getting from your dry, dessicated textbook. You should know that this book covers more advanced material than the very simple stuff, but frankly, it handles it so well that I didn't need to review the simple stuff to understand what I needed to. Imagine that -- a math book so clear that you can pretty much pick it up anywhere and just start reading! If you're a student taking "calculus I" in high school, much of this book will be beyond what you want, but you'll be able to understand it.
   
   What's more, I'd recommend it to anyone who is in a field who might stumble across a Calculus idea or problem, such as computer geeks (such as myself), or engineering professionals, etc. Pick it up & if you can't read it now, put it on the shelf -- you'll be glad it's there when the need arises. An excellent book, that "hits" just the right level of review and learning so you can really understand it, and use it.



2. This book deserves 10 stars. It is simply the clearest and easiest to understand math book on a difficult topic that I've ever seen. Out of the over 1300 things that I have reviewed on Amazon, I would give this book the highest rating. I completely agree with Darkman in his earlier review, that the book is so good that you can just pick up anywhere and understand what is being said. I've seen a lot of math books over the years that purported to be what this one is, and were not, most of them not by any stretch of the imagination. As he says, most just cover proofs, which isn't that useful for most people, or try to teach the applied practical side but just make it too difficult.
   
   The problem is that most people who are good at math, good enough to get a Ph.D. and write a book like this, are so good at it that they just don't understand the average college student who doesn't. For some amazing reason, Bachman does, and if all math teachers were like him, math would actually be, if not a popular subject, at least far more than it is now. If you are considering this book, just pick it up and start reading anywhere and you'll see what we mean. It's truly an amazing feat of writing and math teaching and the book is worth 10 times the actual purchase price, in my opinion, in all the time it will save you and all the hassle you'll avoid trying to understand difficult concepts.
   
   Not only that, but the way Bachman presents the subject, despite the overall technical level, he is still able to show you the beauty and elegance of the language of advanced calculus despite that.
   
   Finally, the worked problems are well chosen and very clearly solved and illustrated. I just can't say enough good about this book. I've looked for a math book this clear for advanced calculus and other advanced math topics for almost 35 years. I'm so excited by this book that words don't really do justice, and at my age there's not a whole lot that I get really excited about anymore. They should inaugurate a new Nobel Prize for teaching excellence and give the first one to Bachman so he can retire from day to day college teaching and continue to write books like this.



3. When you're studying Advanced Calculus on your own you need three things (apart from work and the right mindset, of course:)
   -A good intuition about the nuts and bolts of the problems.
   -Many, many exercises.
   -A source for formalism and other theorems that are important.
   
   David Bachman's book is amazing in that it is the first book i know that can give you the first point and a bit of the second. But! Do not expect to learn Adv. Calculus using this book alone.
   
   Firstly there simply are not enough exercises. Secondly, it has some important omissions (there is nothing about the Implicit Function and Envelope Theorems, which are essential in Differential Calculus).
   
   But if you arm yourself with this wonderful little book (They DO say it's a companion for more advanced texts in the cover), with a good source of solved problems and any regular Calculus textbook and work them over you should be in good shape.



4. I took a course in vector calculus and linear algebra 15 years ago but was forced to drop out of college and have forgotten most of the material. I am preparing to go back to college and complete a degree, so I want to get caught up. This is not a bad book as a supplement to a good text, but it's not a good text book on its own. I thought I'd be able to use this by itself, but I ended up using my calculus textbook to actually learn the subject matter, then I used this text to fill in the gaps and review.

5 comments about Machine Shop Trade Secrets: A Guide to Manufacturing Machine Shop Practices.

1. I'm a self taught machinist but sometimes I don't trust my teacher. I'm always look'n for better ways to do a job. I'd heard about this book for sometime but I thought it was too much money. So I kept waiting to find it on sale, I did and now that I've read it, I'm sorry I waited. It's well worth the price and I should have paid it. For then I would have had access to Mr. Harvey's knowledge sooner. The book isn't a beginning to end story or an indept machining course but the best collect on useful proven tips and ideas for the machinist or want-a-be machinist. I don't think you could go wrong with this book. Mr. Harvey brings us his vast experience with easy to understand language and excellent photos to support what he is discribing. I would like to meet him so I can thank him personally.



2. Very good and easy to understand.Wish it was higher level but good all the same.



3. This book was an easy read,easy to understand and didn't want to put it down till I hit the back cover.Not like other books of this type where I had to reread to understand where they were going.One of those books when you finish it leaves you wanting more.Good enough to make me want to leave some feedback



4. I've been a Toolmaker for 30 years and you're never too old to learn,
   some very good chapters, and a must for any apprentice or tradesman looking to up his game, highly recommended.



5. This book provides a host of practical tips and tricks to make machining operations easier, faster and more accurate. The author covers lathe and milling operations as well as getting the best results when marking out and hand tool operations such as thread forming. Great to pick up and flick through or read from cover to cover. I have gleaned some very useful tips from this book that I have not read/heard about elsewhere. Written in an easy to understand style with a good balance of technical detail.

4 comments about Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms NXT.

1. It is a excellent book to construct a robot. The book provide more phyiscal knowledge. You can unstand the NXT well by this book. I recommand and like this book strongly!



2. This book is just fantastic. Starts out with the basics for building strong stable robots, and moves on to more complex ideas. Great examples of robots throughout the book which will provide ideas for building your own masterpiece.
   It doesn't have step by step instructions, and is more of an ideas book for NXT enthusiasts.
   I'd recommend this for your home or Robotics club library.



3. A good book with clear explanations and a non-intimidating style for beginners.
   
   A more detailed look at the NXT-G programming language would have been helpful, as this is the program that comes with the NXT retail kit.



4. Great book with lots of ideas on NXT robot building. The author, Mario Ferrari, does an excellent job of describing each and bringing unique ideas to the table.

5 comments about Schaum's Outline of Electrical Power Systems.

1. Ok for review of power systems, However many typo's or errors. If I was Mr Syed A. Nasar I would be embarrased to have my name on this book. In the first chapter alone there are more than 10 errors. If anyone knows where to find the McGraw Hill errata page for this manual please post the URL, it will be a great service. If I find it I'll repost.



2. Worthy of being considered a book of the Schaum collection. Very good!



3. This book should not be sold to students because it is no good. I felt like my money went down the drain due to the fact that the book is very stinks and useless.
   
   I should get my money back because the book is helpless to me.



4. I agree with everyone else who says that the number of errors in numerical calculations are unacceptable in this book. That is too bad, because if that problem was rectified this would be a great little overview of a topic not really taught to Electrical Engineering undergraduates anymore - power and power calculations. Most EE's that graduate today are more signal processing or computer engineers than pure electrical engineers, and being able to work with power if you stay on the technical end of things long enough is bound to come up.
   
   The math is really all over the map in this book - many calculations only require basic math, others involve calculus, still others involve iterative numerical methods. In fact, chapter eight is pretty much dedicated to the subject of numerical methods. The author at least hits the high points of all aspect of power systems. There is a great deal of material on transmission lines as well as the calculations involved when working with underground cables. One chapter is dedicated to fault calculations and discusses how the operation of a power system departs from normal after the occurrence of a fault. Chapter seven develops general solution methods that are amenable to the computer solution of power system network problems. Later in the outline, the author gets into subjects involving heavier power including a good introduction to three-phase power. A final and very short chapter discusses how to protect equipment against abnormal currents and voltages. The author does a good job of introducing the reader to all of the symbols that you are likely to see on a power system diagram, and their meanings.
   
   In spite of the errors in the numerical calculations, I'd still say it's a good buy for the price. You're not going to find a good book that even touches these subjects for under a hundred dollars. If the errors were cleaned up, this Schaum's outline would be an invaluable classic.



5. here in brasil we have portuguese versions of schaum's outline books on many subjects.since I was an electrical engineering graduate student, I have studied the theory on the specific books of a related field and after that I tested my knowledge on schaum's outline books, always improving my skills by solving problems, which are in my opinion, the main reason of being an well succeeded engineer.

5 comments about Schaum's Outline of Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics (Schaum's).

1. Like all of the Schaum guides for subjects in Mechanical Engineering, this outline provides a good overview of fluid mechanics, but it doesn't go into a great deal of depth. It's easy to find the equations if you want to use the book as a reference manual or a study guide, and the problems can serve as a good supplement to an undergraduate class in Fluids.



2. I am not a mechanical engineer. Instead, I am an electrical engineer who took an undergraduate fluid mechanics class last fall to help with some graphical simulation work I was doing. However, I still had to pass the same examinations and do the same homework as the other students who did have a mechanical engineering background, and I found this outline immensely helpful. This book is an excellent source of problem-solving techniques and exercises for anyone who is taking an undergraduate course in fluid mechanics, which is the branch of science concerned with how fluids behave at rest or in motion. This outline assumes that you are already familiar with statics and with calculus, and it makes heavy use of both subjects. There is not a lot of verbal explanation in this outline. Explanation is done mainly through the introduction of some formulas, and then some completely worked out examples using those formulas. It is not at all dry in its presentation, however, and makes heavy and appropriate use of instructive figures and diagrams. Fluid mechanics is about solving problems, and the most difficult part is analyzing the system and reducing it to a series of equations. Once this has been achieved there are a number of standard methods that can be used to solve them. This book gives a good amount of practice at allowing the student to figure out how to approach larger problems in chapters 8 through 10 - "Flow in Closed Conduits", "Complex Pipeline Systems", and "Flow in Open Channels", and also in the final chapter of the outline "Fluid Machinery". This book is a great companion to Munson's "Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics", which is the best textbook on the subject that I have encountered.



3. It is an excellent condition and delivered on time.



4. I like this book very much. It has a lot of good information.



5. The outline was a handy, well-organized supplemental text that helped because we were using a really poor textbook. The worked problems were especially useful, but the summaries were clear, too.

3 comments about How Round Is Your Circle?: Where Engineering and Mathematics Meet.

1. What this book shows you is that you can really understand Mathematics, when you try to build things, even something simple, like cutting a good circle from wood. Many areas of mathematics are discussed that people instinctively feel they understand, such as the roundness of a curve or circle, dividing an angle into 3 equal parts and other interesting Objects De Mathematica. You will find fascinating ways to really model the pythagorean theorem, or gather the sectors of a circle to make an equivalent triangle. There is much to discover between these pages, and Mathematics becomes concrete, objectified, and deeply understood. As another example: "what would a 3 dimensional object that has constant width throughout (based on the tetrahedron) Look like? You can see what this object looks like, when you read the work, and see the model. To add to your understanding, the Authors have constucted Models of the various mathematical principles and ideas, that you can see with your own eyes: such as "two-tip" polyhedrons, and summing the squares of numbers from 1 to n. Reading this book will improve your grasp of mathematics, as well as inspire you to study Engineering, if you havent already. Future Engineers, will be much smarter for having read this great book. Richard H. Pratt, Ph.D.



2. This book is in the tradition of the famous book "Mathematical Models," by H. Martyn Cundy and A. P. Rollett. It shows how to create models that illustrate particular mathematical laws, and in fact Cundy was consulted, while he was still alive, by the author. It is a worthy successor to Cundy & Rollett's book, concentrating mainly in two areas: linkages to draw straight lines and curves, and constant-breadth shapes, though entering a few other areas.
   
   An example of the type of problem this book considers is: How would you construct "the first" protractor or ruler, if there were none already existing?
   
   The spirit of the book is the kind of practical thinking that is thought of as engineering, but the mathematics discussed is fundamental. This is a highly recommended book.



3. This fascinating book flags the spot where engineering and mathematics meet. Each chapter essentially covers a different subject: from linkages to vernier scales to slide rules to balancing dominoes to suspension bridges and so much more. The authors combine the rigidly theoretical approach of mathematics to the very real, practical and physical problems faced in engineering. The result is an amazing romp through various subject areas where the two meet. Very few mathematical derivations are presented here; instead, appropriate references are given throughout (but the reader may feel the urge to attempt some of the derivations him/herself). Some of the results are truly amazing, e.g., stacking a leaning tower of dominoes; some are very ingenious, e.g., the vernier scale and the slide rule; and some chapters I found rather disappointing, e.g., the chapter on suspension bridges - a subject dear to my heart that somehow I felt was lacking. The writing style can be a model of clarity for many chapters while, unfortunately, others seem rather cloudy by comparison; for example, I would place the first (Hard Lines) and seventh (Follow My Leader) chapters in the second category. But overall, the reader is bound to find this book very much worth the read. Those who are likely to relish this book the most would include mathematicians, engineers and serious science buffs. This book could also be used as a supplementary text for related university courses.

1 comments about Mechanical Discipline-Specific Review for the FE/EIT Exam, 2nd ed..

1. The book was a great help for a Mechanical Engineer that forgot some of the basic knowledge because not using the information after college. If you plan on taking discipline-specific second part of the exam this book is a very must have.