2 comments about Operations Research: Applications and Algorithms.

1. Love the text. Has a lot of basic information starting from basic algebra. Any one who is interested to learn Non-linear programming needs to have this book. Great content.



2. This is a grat book, it covers a broad area of operations research. It is equally good for students, professors and profesionals. Very good explanations and applied exercises from real life.
   Definetly a must buy.

No comments about Spline Regression Models (Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences).

2 comments about The Handbook of Research Synthesis.

1. For anyone interested in doing research synthesis, meta-analysis, or even a literature review, this is a "must have" in your collection. Various researchers present quite helpful information to save time, sweat, and tears in the process



2. This book is the best overall work on meta-analysis and research synthesis that has appeared in the past decade.All of its chapters are clearly written, and the data sets that are provided to illustrate the various techniques are extremely helpful. A lot of work went into the development of this book, and it shows.

5 comments about Mathematical Methods For Physicists.

1. This is a 1000 page supplement to other textbooks or courses, and works best when combined with an instructor that knows the material in depth. Personally, this book was a required text for an intro to theoretical physics class that I took a few years ago, and combined with the instructor's lectures that were partially supplemented by other authors (Boas), I learned quite a bit.
   
   Now I am in graduate school and I am still coming back to this book as a solid reference for bessel (and other special) functions, complex variables, etc. This book has many problems, a lot of them have solutions, and most of the time you can determine for yourself if you have the correct answer. I would say a great strength of this book is the difficulty of the problems. Sure, it will take some time to work through them to a solid solution, but in doing the problems in Arfken and Weber I've found I had more depth in understanding after finding solutions. Other textbooks will have loads of problems all with very little differences. You have to actually think to solve the problems contained within this book, which will sharpen your mind for quickly solving problems that you otherwise might not attempt. At least that has been my experience.



2. I am a graduate physics student with a strong mathematical background. This is the textbook used for our 2 semester course in mathematical methods for physics. The book is massive, both in content and physical weight. The cover is attractive and the printing seems to be fairly high quality. Now comes the difficult part of the review: finding other positive comments. First of all, I have only used a few chapters of the book thus far, so my comments pertain only to those. Some difficulties I have found... There are no answers to any exercises making the book fairly useless for self-study. The material is very uneven, as if each section was written by a different author (graduate student?). The explanations and examples are mediocre at best (contrast with the Mary Boas book). There are MANY typos - what ever happened to proof reading? The class INSTRUCTOR doesn't like the book, but is forced to use it by the department, and has regularly emailed the authors with corrections and recommendations. None of the students in the class like the book. You may be forced to use this book, but I would recommend other books as supplements (e.g., the book by Mary Boas and several in the Schaum Outline Series).



3. I appreciate the quick delivery of the book! I received it on the first day of the estimated time interval. I enjoy shopping at amazon.com!



4. This book is the epitome of useless texts. I used this book for graduate mathematical physics as well as the "essential" version for undergraduate math methods. I have yet to learn a single thing from this book or find it remotely useful as a reference.
   
   The explanations range from non-existent to shockingly awful to terribly incomplete.
   
   It appears that the authors simply vomited a collection of formulas into a word processor and sold it as a textbook. Mathematical Methods of Physics (2nd Edition) is much better.



5. Arfken and Weber is a wonderful reference text covering a large number of topics that are not too easy to understand at first glance. I think of it as kind of a 'bridge' between Abromowitz and Stegun on one side and Jackson on the other. Most purely physics books do not explain how the mathematics is developed, instead assuming that the reader already has some kind of familiarity with the subject in advance. On the other hand, most purely mathematics books are far too abstract to be of immediate use to the physicist. Arfken and Weber develop enough of the mathematics to give the reader the gist of how the arguments go, then present a number of good problems to practice the techniques.
   
   Many of the other reviews of this book are very low - especially from students attempting to learn the material for the first time, presumably without a good teacher. I will admit that this would be a very daunting task! However, the material is quite accessible once the student gets the hang of it. This book has been one of the most prized volumes on my shelves for the better part of 10 years. The sections on special functions are especially useful, and I really like the way that interesting and important functions permeate the book rather then being trapped in their own chapter. This gives the reader a sense of how all of the topics are interrelated rather than separate entities. I do understand how it would be very confusing to a student trying to learn the material for the first time, however. As a textbook, this book is best used with a teacher who directs students to specific problems associated with the material being covered in class so that the class can fill in the holes.
   
   The fourth edition does have a large number of typos - some in complicated equations where they can lead to problems for the unsuspecting student. I wonder if this is the source of some of the negative reviews.. I can only hope that the sixth edition contains less of these...
   
   All in all, a great reference that uncovers some of the 'secrets' associated with the formulas found in Abromowitz and Stegun. I find it fun to sit down with AMS-55 and try to derive some of the relations found therein after reading a section in Arfken and Weber. Maybe that's just me... If all you need is a formula book, pick up a paperback copy of AMS-55 and save yourself $60 or more. If you want to have a deep understanding of the mathematics behind it, take seven or eight graduate level courses from the mathematics department at a respectable university (good luck learning the ins and outs of the special functions...!). If you just want to see how the functions and techniques are used in practice and to explore some of their properties, this book is for you.

2 comments about Calculations for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: A Guide to Mathematics in the Laboratory.

1. .
   For most of my entry-level biotechnology students, it's not the science, it's the math.

   Adults and students in my three-year biotechnology pathway (San Mateo Biotechnology Career Pathway) have weak, incomplete or dated math backgrounds. Dr. Stephenson's "Calculations for Molecular Biology anf Biotechnology" quickly and clearly explains and demonstrates how to make the most common calculations done in biotechnology research and manufacturing.

   In a conversational way, that puts users of all levels at ease, the book does a particularly good job of presenting text in small, digestible amounts with practice problems and answers directly following.

   For my program, Chapter 1 (Scientific Notation and Metric Prefixes) and Chapter 2 (Solutions, Mixtures, and Media) are excellent reviews and remediation of calculations taught in the first semester's standard lab training.

   Other chapters include several sections that are used or could be used as reference for my second and third year students. Some of these include bacterial growth curves and cell culture concentrations (Chapter 3), DNA Quantitation using spectrophotometers and gels (Chapter 5), PCR reactants concentration and preparation (Chapter 8), Protein Quantitation using spectrophotometry (Chapter 10), and Data Analysis (Chapter 12).

   One of the things I like best about the book is that there are so many topics presented that my students have proposed several new research ideas utilizing the techniques and calculations presented.

   I recommend this book as a reference for technicians, researchers, students, and teachers who work or are training to work in biotechnology labs or manufacturing facilities.




2. This book was really simplistic. For freshman, it is ok, for the practice.

2 comments about Operations Research: Applications and Algorithms (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac®).

1. I'm guessing you're on this page because this is your textbook. It works reasonably well for a text, but there are many, many errors. One important problem you should check IMMEDIATELY when you get your copy: some versions double printed pages 705-736 and did not print 737 to 768. These would be the first sections of chapter 13 -- Decision Making under Uncertainty. It is pretty important for the stochastic course, but not so important for the deterministic course (the first part of the book). There are websites that have errata, but even the errata sheets I've found are incomplete. Hopefully your prof should be aware of the flaws. I would NOT recommend this book if you have a coice in the matter. Many of the errors are very confusing to new students.



2. Operations Research is an emergent science!!!
   This book provides a complete approach to Hard OR, like modelling and all the required Mathematics...
   Winston is an old fox at this area. His books are previoulsy accredited!

5 comments about Measure for Measure.

1. This is a handy book with literally thousands of conversions. Look up your unit, and convert to metric, or convert from a metric unit to your unit. The units are identified by the country of origin including ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China, etc.



2. This little book has saved me a couple of times. Full of data, tables, conversions, etc.... Spend the money and get yourself a copy. You'll be amazed how often you reach for it.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed hunting in this book for various conversion factors, and would recommend it with just one reservation.

   Unfortunately, the authors were somewhat arbitrary in deciding which units any particular one would be converted to. If I had written this book, I would have included at least the following for each unit: (1) All other units in the SAME system (i. e., if we are talking about a pre-revolutionary French unit of length, all other pre-revolutionary French units of length) and (2) the nearest-sized SI unit. Unfortunately they frequently leave out conversions between units of the same system that would be useful, and often units of the same approximate size are converted to different SI units, making comparisons difficult. (For example, one foot-size unit may be expressed as so many centimeters, while another as such a fraction of a meter.)

   Both of these omissions can be circumvented by using a calculator and working with what these authors have chosen to include, but the book would be easier to use if they had done what I would have.




4. This work is seriously comprehensive, although you may occasionally need a calculator, as suggest by another reviewer. But you'll have the calculator with you anyway, because you're looking in the book to do a conversion. That's what happens to me.
   
   There is a depth of research in this book that I love. You can dive in and discover versions of a unit that you never knew existed (e.g., no, not just the two different feet in use in the US, but all the variants on the angular measure known as the 'mil'). You need to do the work: the authors give you all the basic data.
   
   Most of this book you (as one individual) will never need. But there are enough people who will, collectively, need all of it, to justify this book being in print almost forever. The price is right to have it on your bookshelf and it should last you a lifetime. Go for it!



5. Now that I have this book, I don't have to search the world over every time I want to convert some measurement. The format is easy to use and well formatted. A great volume to have for anyone who needs to convert units and can't remember all the formulas.

4 comments about 100 Statistical Tests.

1. This reference text gives busy people at work exactly what they want, the way they want it. They know their data needs, so they look up the clear list of tests to find the test that meets that need, and follow the simple steps to implement it: assumptions, method, equation, and a brief example. No theory, no blabbing, just to the point and ready for use. Saves time, and reading. Also, having so many tests saves the hassle of looking for a specific test somewhere in the library. This is a complete investment!



2. then this book is for you. Do you want to know if you were discriminated against, at some confidence level? Do you want to know if the moon phase affects the NASDAQ? If Bush High School seniors score an average of 74 and Gore High School seniors score an average of 73, is Bush High really statistically better than Gore High? These are just a few of the millions of tests that can be done with this book. If you believe in the saying, "In God we trust; all others bring data," then you'll love this book, especailly if you can force your peers to use it.



3. One day I was obliged to abandon my course, the second of a suite of two course on Statistics, in a university and I was kind of curious to see how tests and statistical software applications evolved since Internet and software applications are now spread everywhere and in schools because I would still want to complete this course.
   
   I did not read this book entirely but I am rather amazed to see that some educators At LEAST understand that how-tos explained step-by-step are important when studying in a university because much work and readings have to be done in shorter time periods and there is less time to think of how to realize tests, claculations and whatever can be demanded by teachers. I am satisfied but cannot say more opinions for now.



4. A very useful general reference; even thick textbooks usually list only a subset of these tests -- and not in a uniform reference.

5 comments about Math Word Problems Demystified.

1. This book is great. It breaks the various word problems into categories and then develops a plan to help solve that category. This book is easy to understand and has helped me tutor my children in this area. Most people roll their eyes at math word problems this book has changed that. I highly recommend it.



2. Get this for your 6th grade student. It reviews math they have had and teaches how to figure out word problems. It has great explanations and examples. It has practice problems and then quizzes at the end of a unit. Answers are either right after the problems or at the back of the book. Parents can use this to help kids, and math teachers can certainly use it for probably 5th through 8th or 9th grades.



3. I highly recommend this book as a "must have" for any entrance exam refresher. Very easy to understand how to break apart the 10 different type of word problems.



4. I went through Allan G. Bluman's Pre-Algebra Demystified book and found it to be absolutely enjoyable. It is so clear and so thorough that the material just seeps into your head. He seems to have perfect pitch as a teacher. I am ordering his Math Word Problems Demystified book on the strength of how he wrote the Pre-Algebra book. I can't imagine that it will disappoint, thus the 5 star rating.



5. I have always struggled with word problems. Due to changing schools a couple times and different curriculum in each, I ended up taking Algebra I three times (needless to say, by year three, I was completely bored!), then later took Algebra II and College Algebra. Nevertheless, on the ACT I did rather poorly on the algebra section because it is made mostly of word problems. Same on the GRE. So before starting another degree program that is heavier in math than my first, I picked up this book to help me learn the concepts with which I struggle.
   
   Somehow, in all those classes (plus one more in college), I just never got it, but with this book, I finally did. I actually began to enjoy them! This book explains things very simply and gives just the right amount of problems to help you practice. The explanations on how to solve the problems and on how the practice problems are solved are very easy to understand as well.
   
   All I can say is THANK YOU, Bluman! I wish I had picked this up 5 years ago! :)

5 comments about The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number.

1. Highly readable and fascinating book by the well-respected Mario Livio. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Livio The book does not require a math background to understand or appreciate. Traces the origins and applications of the golden ratio through time, nature and art. Explores (and generally refutes) myths and misconceptions about the golden ratio. Highly recommended. Fascinating reading. Dan Brown (author of "the DaVinci Code") reportedly loved the book.



2. Several years ago I prepared a review for amazon on this book. Since that time there have been many others to contribute. There are those like me who found it fascinating and gave it five stars, others that gave it a 4 or a 3 because they quibbled with the author over some mathematical issues and finally agroup that really hated it and found it boring and gave it only 1 or 2 stars. Some of those in the third group claim to be mathematicians but thought the book had too detailed. I don't see how a true mathematician could not love this book. Here is what I wrote that I still believe.
   
   The book is 253 pages and 10 appendices about a number called the golden ratio. I give it 5 stars. It is a book for mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike. The first question I asked was how can an entire book be devoted to one number. Well Beckman wrote a book about the number pi and certainly that was interesting. There is a lot to say about the geometry of pi and many mathematical and statistical properties it has. Some including the Buffon needle problem are related by Livio in this book. He contrasts pi to the golden ratio (phi) which also has geometric and mystical properties. The quantity pi is a transcendental number meaning it is not the solution of any algebraic equation. On the other hand phi is algebraic as it is the solution to a quadratic equation.
   Other strange properties of phi are:
   1. If you subtract 1 from it you get its reciprocal
   2. Add 1 to it and you get its square
   
   To see the marvelous algebraic and geometric properties of phi you need only scan through the 10 appendices. Scan through the book and the pictures show you the many artistic properties related to phi.
   
   Although algebraic phi is an irrational number. By applying the quadratic formula to its solution (see Appendix 5 in the book) you will see that its solution involves the square root of 5. Pythagoras and his followers in ancient Greece were said to have discovered irrational numbers (a natural consequence when you study right triangles) and hid this knowledge from the populous.
   
   Phi is defined by Euclid as the "extreme and mean ratio". As Livio quotes Euclid " A straight line is said to have been cut in extreme and mean ratio when, as the whole line is to the greater segment, so is the greater to the lesser". This leads to an equality of proportions that yields phi=1.6180339887 rounded to ten decimal places.
   
   Livio also discusses the relationship between the ratio and our concept of beauty (i.e. the quality of the perfect face). It is also interesting that in his new book on the impossibility of solving the 5th degree polynomial by radicals Livio relates the Galois theory of groups to concepts of symmetry. There he also attributes our perception of besuty to symmetry.
   
   If you have the time read the book thoroughly. Write a review that adds to what has been said if you like. Or skim through the pages and appreciate the artist properties of phi along with its algebraic and geometric properties. Read about fractals and myths. Enjoy this wonderful book!
   



3. I happened to notice that he says Babylonians found the general solution for the quadratic. General solution of the quadratic was given by Bhaskara. The author has not read Fibbonaci's book. Fibonacci himself said in the preface that he learnt new math from India. Fibonacci numbers were found by Hemachandra. there were many other errors...I would not recommend to my students



4. One of the best books I've read. It is an in depth study of the Golden Ratio...the history, purpose, relationship to other concepts. I am intrigued by math, art, and science and found this book very, amusing. You will need a basic understanding of high school math to fully appreciate some of it. Oh, by the way, the author shoots down most other author's claims that the golden ratio has been used in classic architecture and art. Superb job Mario Livio!



5. I bought this book with a thirst to know about this number phi. I did learn about the number phi. However a large part of the book was devoted to instances where various people thought the number phi was present but the author spent considerable time developing the opinion or fact that phi was not influencing this or that particular instance. I got REALLY tired of that.
   
   For me, the first chapter and a half or so and the last two chapters were the meat of the matter for my interest. The book was worth it for the last chapter.
   
   I think that the author would have been better to write a book titled "Why Is Mathematics So Effective?" That seemed to be the central question that really drove the author.
   
   I don't regret reading it. I just feel it wasn't really the book I signed up for.