Reviews (9)

Absolutely delightful reading!
Highly informative. A few aspects need to be updated, though. I'd buy a second edition without any hesitation.

A MUST READ!
I bought this book at the Kennedy Space Center Space Store and at first thought the cover and title looked sort of juvenile. However, once I started reading it I couldn't put it down! Mullane answers so many questions I didn't even think to ask and answered questions I had in my mind while touring NASA. This book enriched my NASA experience and I feel so much more knowledgeable about what astronauts experience. His writing style is as lighthearted and accessible as it is thorough. From explaining how astronauts have to work the toilet system on shuttles to how they are chosen to be an astronauts to facts about the Challenger tragedy, the simple question/answer format makes it fast reading and easy to go back and peruse. Published in 1997, I wish Mullane would update it and add more, but this is such a good introduction to the whole shuttle experience, I won't complain. In fact, this book has given me a better understanding of the current spacewalks on the space station and the Cassini spacecraft that just reached Saturn's orbit. I can easily see how this book could be very inspirational for a wanna-be or don't-yet-know-they-wanna-be astronaut, as well. Funny, informative, easy-to-read, candid, and detailed
People who read FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions, a common format to provide information on Usenet and the web) will find the style of this book familiar and accessible.And so, I think, will a lot of people.One of the best things about this book, besides the amount of ground it covers, is its suitability for a wide audience.Its simple language covering a wide range of subjects will appeal to everyone from children to adults, from people with a cursory interest in space travel to people obsessed with it.The book comes with recommendations from Neil Armstrong and James Lovell, as well as several less famous (but not necessarily less experienced) space professionals.Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Astronautics    3. Astrophysics & Space Science    4. Miscellanea    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Space Exploration    8. Technology    9. Science: General Issues    10. Space travel & exploration    11. Technology / Aeronautics & Astronautics   

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (6)

Do not drive and listen. . .
Made the mistake of listening to this on a drive to New Orleans.Usually takes two hours.However, when you have to pull the car over and laugh, it can take about three or four hours.Taking out the CD and arriving quicker was not an option - as long as there is a drive-through fast food joint close to the highway.The news from Lake Wobegon has become a letter from home over the past years, and, it will erase any damage you have had from your own family!!
Full of Hearty Laughs and Poignant Moments
If you're not familliar with Garrison Keillor's stories of small-town, Midwestern life, check to see when his program is aired on your local NPR station. His radio program (called A Prarie Home Companion) is full of esoteric music, old fashioned comic sketches, and amusing interviews, but the real treats are his delightfull and insightfull Lake Wobegon yarns, which is what these tapes are full of. If I could give this 4 tape set 6 stars I would, but 5 will have to do. Included is a story about a Sunday school teacher's husband, who gets roped into managing the Christmas pagent at the last minute and must deal with debates over allowing live animals into the church, children with stage fright, and conspiracies to keep local Lutherans from getting into the Catholic church to watch the spectacle. Another favorite is The Six Labors of Father Wilmer, in which a battle between a priest and a parishoner leads to a cleric, in his pajamas, on a 20 foot ladder, at 3 am, trying to rid the church of the evil" of mecury lighting. Of course there's Sweet Corn, in which we learn about the secret aphrodisiac of the Midwest. Another good story is Blue Devils, in which we witness the progress of an overly competitive, all-girl's basketball team through the eyes of anxious parents, who try to make sense of sweet, blonde, little girls--who kiss mothers before joining the game, but are soon seen elbowing enemies to the floor and uttering words that have never been allowed in the house. All in all, there are 17 monologues and some music between stories...making about 5 hours of good, old-fashioned-but-liberal-minded entertainment. If you're looking for another good (probably better!) Keillor set, go for Life These Days. I guarentee you'll crack up.

Woe is Right
An old, tired theme. That is what this compilation delivers, and delivers and delivers.Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Other    2. Radio - General    3. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    4. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (2)

Good Overall
Having taken a spacecraft course that utilized Fortescue and Stark as its primary text, I can say that I thought it was a horrible choice. Spacecraft Systems Engineering, oh how helpful it is
I am about fifteen and I am very interested in engineering, so I bought this book.I will tell you that this has tought me so much about engineering and the importance of math.It contains equations foreverything from life support systems to propulsion systems.I wouldreccomend this for anyone interested in working in the field of spacecraftengineering or just has 70 bucks to spend on an interesting insight intowhat it takes to build a spacecraft.I have talked to some engineers andthey told me that this book will get you on your way to a carrer in thisfield. It covers all systems and in great detail even if you want to buildyour own minicraft(science fair, worked too. Well that is all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Astronautics    3. Design and construction    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Space vehicles    6. Systems engineering    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Mathematics for scientists & engineers    10. Technology / Aeronautics & Astronautics   

Editorial Review

Inspired by Werner von Braun and his Cape Canaveral team, 14-year-old Homer Hickam decided in 1957 to build his own rockets. They were his ticket out of Coalwood, West Virginia, a mining town that everyone knew was dying--everyone except Sonny's father, the mine superintendent and a company man so dedicated that his family rarely saw him. Hickam's smart, iconoclastic mother wanted her son to become something more than a miner and, along with a female science teacher, encouraged the efforts of his grandiosely named Big Creek Missile Agency. He grew up to be a NASA engineer and his memoir of the bumpy ride toward a gold medal at the National Science Fair in 1960--an unprecedented honor for a miner's kid--is rich in humor as well as warm sentiment. Hickam vividly evokes a world of close communal ties in which a storekeeper who sold him saltpeter warned, "Listen, rocket boy. This stuff can blow you to kingdom come." Hickam is candid about the deep disagreements and tensions in his parents' marriage, even as he movingly depicts their quiet loyalty to each other. The portrait of his ultimately successful campaign to win his aloof father's respect is equally affecting. Read more

Reviews (515)

The book is prodigious
I loved the movie, "October Sky." However, the book goes into more depth than the movie. The relationship between Homer and his parents is far more interesting than the movie's depiction. The book and the movie had the space race, the coming-of-age theme, science fair competition, and young love. The book is written very well. The characters come alive. The book is prodigious, to use one of the character's favorite adjectives.

Refreshing read
A really interesting and inspiring story, appropriate for people of all ages.You won't be able to put it down.

WOW!
Rocket Boys/October sky, by Homer H. Hickam (jr), tells about the writer's life when he was a teenager. Set in the mountains of West Virginia, this best-selling book truly expresses what it is like to be traped. Whith its twisting plots and great writing I don't thing anybody wouldn't love this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1943-    2. Aeronautics    3. Aeronautics & Astronautics    4. Aerospace engineers    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Hickam, Homer H.,    10. Historical - U.S.    11. Scientists - General    12. United States    13. Biography & Autobiography / General    14. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Every step you take in Read more

Reviews (9)

An exciting dance through time.
I never had the opportunity to see the "Walk Through Time" exhibition, initiated by Sidney Liebes and supported by Hewlett-Packard, but it must have been a marvelous experience. What rivets my attention in this book, however, even more than the beautiful pictures of the exhibit, is the text written by Elisabet Sahtouris, who expresses her own "cosmovision" with an incomparable eloquence and vitality. While her words are grounded solidly in the most advanced theoretical and empirical evolutionary science, she takes the reader not on a walk but an exciting dance through time. If I were asked to recommend just one book that best told the story of how the universe conspired to bring us into being this would be it. It's a real "roots" story but the roots are not merely those of a particular individual or family or species but of all life, reaching back to the point where time itself loses meaning. most interesting book i've read in years!
this is the most interesting book i've read in years;prof. liebes presents the history of evolution from stardust to us, at the end of the book one relizes thatall of us humans are actually single cells of a larger life form, the planet earth.In an informative and easy to read way, "a walk through time" presents a holistic theory of evolution that emphasises symbiotic co-evolution of geo-bio-matter admidst the theme that while life starts out in a state of competition, all life forms even on a cellular level learn to cooperate, develop symbiotic relationships that enable life to first develop and then evolve billions of years to present day.the glory of the sheer will of all life,(particularly at the cellular level) reminds me very much of shoupenhauer,nieztche,spinoza, henri bergson and hegal. i would recomend this book to all people,especially those who enjoy philosophy and those theologians seeking a more meaning cosmology.

most interesting book i've read in years!
this is the most interesting book i've read in years;prof. liebes presents the history of evolution from stardust to us, at the end of the book one relizes thatall of us humans are actually single cells of a larger life form, the planet earth.In an informative and easy to read way, "a walk through time" presents a holistic theory of evolution that emphasises symbiotic co-evolution of geo-bio-matter admidst the theme that while life starts out in a state of competition, all life forms even on a cellular level learn to cooperate, develop symbiotic relationships that enable life to first develop and then evolve billions of years to present day.the glory of the sheer will of all life,(particularly at the cellular level) reminds me very much of shoupenhauer,nieztche,spinoza, henri bergson and hegal. i would recomend this book to all people,especially those who enjoy philosophy and those theologians seeking a more meaning cosmology. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Evolution    2. Evolution (Biology)    3. General    4. Geobiology    5. History    6. Life    7. Life Sciences - Evolution    8. Origin    9. Origin Of Life    10. Reference    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Cosmology & the universe    14. History of science   

Reviews (30)

The Best Book since Carl Sagan 'sAge
This is a book that follows the style of Carl Sagan, but it is not Carl Sagan ! Dr. Michio Kaku provide a path of light into the M theory. This is not a simple scientific book it is the main stone in the foundation of new knowledge.

Good Overview for the Layman
This is the first book I have read in this field and I was encouraged to read it when I overheard an NPR discussion with Kaku while washing the kitchen floor one day. For me the power of this book (and of the man himself) is its ability to excite the interest of the layman.As a wannabe teacher, I find Kaku's presentation to be brilliant in terms of his ability to excite his audience and give them 'wow' moments.Sure, maybe he doesn't present a totally complete and unbiased opinion of the subject matter (although I am not one to judge this), but he may spur the interest of a few of the next generation of comologists and to for me that is what is important - keeping people informed and turned-on to science so that they will pursue the subject and generate the next round of discoveries.I recommend this to all who love to learn.I only wish I could attend Kaku's lectures...

This is the one
I've read most, if not all, of the recent series of published books on this particularly interesting and complicated subject, and this is the one. The most understandable of them all. Clearly written with the non professional in mind. Michio Kaku presents all the information of what isn't the most easily understood of subjects in a fashion which allows for an enjoyable reading experience of the ever changing and sometimes reinvented theory that comes tantalizing close to the much sought after Holy Grail Theory of Everything. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Universe    2. Cosmology    3. Physics    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Science / Physics   

Reviews (8)

Good Elementary Book
It is a good primer book for the newby in Finite Element Analysis. It has good and clear simple examples

Schaum's on FEA Needs to be Updated
Schaum's Outline on Finite Element Analysis was a valuable and important source at the time it was first published in 1995.However, in the intervening 11 years, this field has advanced rapidly, and the material in Professor Buchanan's otherwise excellent outline is now seriously dated.
Don't waste your money with other books
Don't waste your money buying those hardcover books on Finite Element Method. If you wanna learn this subject soon this is the right book. Beside it you should study the book "An Introduction to Finite Element Method" by J. N. Reddy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Engineering - General    3. Finite Element Method In Engineering    4. Finite Mathematics    5. Finite element method    6. Mathematics    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Study Guides    9. Finite geometry    10. Mathematics / Finite Mathematics    11. Structural engineering   

Reviews (10)

Outstanding
With no doubt this is the best Aerodynamics book for college students ever written...ever!Very clear explanations,full of examples and a good set of exercises to challenge your understanding of the subject. The only negative point is that there no answers to the problems.

Decent textbook
This book needs a good professor to go along with it. The examples have little to do with many things in the text and the book fails to emphasize which concepts are the most important.

Note that the 4th edition is out; info is on the McGraw-Hill website;
Fundamentals of Aerodynamics
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Subjects:  1. Aerodynamics    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Mechanics - Dynamics - Aerodynamics    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Science / Mechanics / Dynamics / Aerodynamics   

Reviews (9)

the last word
I am new to apollo and I decided this book should be my way into it. It is a carefully crafted and sensitive piece of writing but its strength is not in the unearthly technicalities but in explaining the earthly politics - this was the biggiest and best pr stunt since the pyramids and is unlikely to be surpassed for hundreds of years.I personally enjoyed the description of the nasa contract management regime and the role of the driving force in the shape of a person, Joe Shea, in this case. This book has to be in the top ten along with the Bible, complete works of shakespeare etc, but if you want a shorter 'rocket-powered-read' and like to read about crazy technical stuff - Ben Rich's Skunkworks is in a class of its own. In fact some of the craziest Lockheed stuff must have been going on at the same time as apollo.
Best General Account of the Lunar Program
In my opinion, "Apollo" ist the best available book of the lunar program. It uses documents and interviews of the people who participated in the Apollo project. It provides some deep insides about the people who brought the spacecraft to the moon, like Bob Gilruth, Max Faget, Chris Kraft, Glynn Lunney and many many more.
The On-The-Ground History of Our Greatest Adventure
The perfect counterpart to Chaikin's book, and an indispensable history of the administrators and decision-makers who made the space program one of our nation's greatest successes. In this day when the word "bureaucrat" is intended as a slur and when government withdraws from the big scientific challenges, it can do us all good to remember the era when the bureaucrats were honest heroes and government dared to reach for the stars. Murray and Cox do justice to everyone from James Webb to the guys in the "trench" in Houston. An invaluable book for any serious Apollo enthusiast. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astrophysics & Space Science    2. History / United States / 20th Century    3. Science    4. Science / History    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Apollo project    7. History    8. Manned space flight    9. Manned spacecraft    10. NASA programs    11. Space flight    12. United States - 20th Century   

Reviews (6)

the best.
i have most of the books on rocket engines that are sold today.
OK as far as it goes, but my goodness...
I got this for one of my kids, who was young, and wanted to know why it was difficult to make rockets. GO GET IT!
As already mentioned above....do not question the price! It is really worth every single cent! I am not a LRE-designer nor do I work in any similar branche...you'll need to work yourself through the subject and especially through the mathematics, but you will be able to design your own rocket motor. It really goes into detail. Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Rocket Propulsion    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Technology & Industrial Arts    5. Aerospace & aviation technology    6. Engines & power transmission   

Reviews (1)

A must have for all rotorcraft engineers
As an aerospace engineer I have read many books on rotorcraft and I mustadmit that this is the most up to date and useful text on rotorcraft that Ihave had the pleasure to read. There are many aspects of the text thatstand out, however the one I found most useful, especially as a graduatestudent, was that the equations are derived from engineering basics and areaccompanied by clear explanations of the principles involved. The text andequations are also supplimented by clear diagrams that serve to enhanceunderstanding of the more complex topics covered. All in all a great bookand one that I would highly recommend to both rotorcraft students andpracticing engineers alike. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aerodynamics    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Engineering - General    4. Helicopters    5. Mechanics - Dynamics - Aerodynamics    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Aerospace & aviation technology    10. Mechanical engineering    11. Technology / Engineering / General   

Reviews (3)

Good Fundamentals Book by a Talented Writer
This is an excellent book for the modern fundamentals of aircraft control design. Most subjects are clearly treated with just the right amount of illustrations and examples. The author makes good effort of explaining procedures without resorting to function calls from some software package. The last of the book devotes relatively little space to modern control theory. I would hope this talented writer would create something more advanced in the future that would expand on his treatment of the state observer and the use of the cost function.

An excellent introductory book. Highly readable.
The best aspect of this book is the simplicity in the exposition of ideasand concepts while giving more than enough information for an introductorybook. Fully worked out examples are frequent throughout the chapters andhelps even further in getting good grasp of new materials. If the readerhas taken introductory courses in Vibration and/or Feedback Control, thebook should be an easy read.The book is roughly divided into two parts:The flight dynamics part and control part.In the flight dynamics part,the explanation smoothly leads the reader from equation of motion to theconcept of stability derivatives and how they relate to dynamic stability.The derivatives are very well explained and then summarized in tables for aquick reference.In the control part, the author starts from the classiclinear feed back control and proceeds to the modern state space method andintroduces optimal control design using linear quadratic regulator.Thecontrol part is an amazing time saver. I have never seen a more efficientintroduction to optimal control as applied to aircraft dynamics. If thereader wants a full fledged treatment of optimal control of aircraft, thematerials presented here are far from enough, but as an introductory book,this is an excellent exposition that lets the reader get to pace quicklyand have straight forward perspective on the subject. Although there weresome blatant typos, it is an excellent work and I highly recommend thebook.

A lot of info on aircraft control in a small textbook.
I found this textbook to include a large amount of concisely presented material on all aspects of aircraft stability and control and feedback control system design. It covers everything from the atmosphere, to development of forces and moments and equations of motion, to estimation ofstability derivatives, analysis of dynamics and modes of motion, and handyreduced degrees of freedom. It also includes many examples of designingautopilots and stability augmentation systems. I really liked the exampleswhich included both classical and state variable methods. Each chapter alsohas several interesting example problems. I would recommend this text foranyone in the field of aircraft or missile flight controls. The onlydissappointing aspect of the text is what I consider an excessive number oftypographical errors. I would caution anyone not to use the equations orformulas without first checking the derivation. The derivations are clearand concise enough that the reader should be able to find these errors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Aircraft Operation    3. Airplanes    4. Automatic control    5. Automation    6. Aviation - Commercial    7. Aviation - General    8. Aviation - Piloting & Flight Instruction    9. Control systems    10. Reference    11. Stability of airplanes    12. Technology & Industrial Arts    13. Transportation    14. Aerospace & aviation technology    15. Automatic control engineering    16. Technology / Aeronautics & Astronautics   

Reviews (1)

Experts Define the State of the Art in Spacecraft Design
This book is on the design of spacecraft. In order to have the most up to date information available, each chapter is written by an expert in the particular field covered by that chapter. Looking at the brief introduction of the writers shows that most of them have been involved in the design of actual spacecraft for the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. These people have been actually working on the subjects they discuss.
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Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Astronautical instruments    3. Astronautics    4. Astrophysics & Space Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Scientific Instruments    7. Systems engineering    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Engineering & Technology | Mechanical Engineering    11. Technology / Aeronautics & Astronautics   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Astronomy - General    4. Astronomy - Star Guides    5. Atlases - General    6. General    7. Reference    8. Science    9. Star Observation    10. Astronomical charts & atlases   

Reviews (5)

excellent book and course
I am taking Flabel's course using this book and it's excellent and well worth the money.Anyone that works in aircraft stress analysis should learn these fundamental analysis techniques, they're as practical and valuable as you'll find. A little tip:we're running out of aircraft engineers who can do hand calcs- learn the classical methods in this book and others (Peery, etc) and you will be guaranteed a well paying job for life.

Practical! Absolutely
Mr. Flabel's book is filled with actual answers to aircraft engineers (metals...sorry future 7E7 folks). In general, it is a "how to" book - answering questions in a straightforward and practical way. It doesn't start with a 'blob' and formulate idealized differential equations that can't be solved in practical application. Many topics provide a working and adaquate examination of the mechanics at hand, and provide one if not several methods of solutions - including worked-out examples. I work as an engineer for an airline, designing repairs primarily, and have found a great deal of use for this book (in fact, it was recommended to me by a major A/C mfg engineer during a training course).

Well done Mr. Flabel ...
This is an excellent Practical Aerospace Stress Analysis textbook!!It is unique in the aerospace structures world and will complement very well the other two standard texts in the industry (Bruhn's Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures and Niu's Airframe Stress and Sizing). Clearly written with plenty of real life illustrative examples. This book has plenty to offer to both Stress Engineers and Structural Designers either starting out or with several years of experience.Mr. Flabel covers just about all the principal introductory topics.Highly recommended.The author claims in the preface that "the wise and prudent use of this book will provide the competent engineer with many years of practical stress analysis experience".This appears to be a fair statement. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Science/Mathematics    3. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Reviews (1)

A must for anyone interested in panel methods
Comprehensive in both theoretical and numerical presentation. The authors show how to model invicid, incompressible aerodynamics using pnael methods which are based on potential theory. They also show how to incorporate viscosity inside the boundary layer. I found the book's detailed treatment of panel methods for unsteady aerodynamics particularly useful.Most textbooks only show the steady state case. The book is very practical with very good description of algorithms. At the end of the book, you can also find sample programs developed by authors' students. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Engineering - General    3. General    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Aerodynamics    8. Aerospace & aviation technology    9. Applied mathematics    10. Mechanical engineering    11. Technology / Engineering / General   

Reviews (2)

The only wind tunnel book available
This is the only book that contains everything one needs to know about sub sonic wind tunnel. For students doing a project or a course in experimental fluid mechanics, or those whose work involve aerodynamics, this will be a good reference. Anyone who has been through fluid mechanics courses during their undergraduate years know the importance of wind tunnel testing. This book covers topics from wind tunnel designs, to measurements, boundary corrections, testing procedures and the nonaeronautical applications of wind tunnel. The classic "must-have" for wind tunnel test work
The original is the one book everyone in the wind tunnel test area had open on their desk. It covered everything from overall theory of aerodynamic testing to details of wind tunnel design. The revision bringsit up to date with use of computers and digital test gear. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Applied Aerodynamics    3. Engineering - Mechanical    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Wind tunnels    8. Aerospace & aviation technology    9. Technology / Engineering / Mechanical    10. Testing of materials   

Reviews (15)

The Cosmic Landscape
Great book! Susskind describes ultimate reality as "a landscape of possibilities populated by a megaverse of actualities." (p. 347) John Haught on the other hand, professor of theology at Georgetown Universtiy, describes deity as "the repository of all possibilities."
AMAZING BOOK!!!
I absolutely loved this book.I am not a physicist or mathematician (in fact I can barely remember the basic multiplication tables), but I studied philosophy in college and I find that the most rewarding source of interesting material regarding the nature of reality is in not in philosophy but in popular science books like this one.I am a big Brian Greene fan and I think this book is a fanstastic follow-up.Leonard Susskind is very much an ADVOCATE for his position; he doesn't merely spoonfeed the reader with facts and figures about String Theory.I could really feel the author's passion throughout the book and he has a great talent for communicating his ideas to a layperson in a very engaging and often humorous way.Needless to say, I am as convinced as any non-physicist could be by Susskind's argument.Some reviewers have called it quack science but Susskind's conclusions to me make absolute common sense and are a far cry from the typical new-agey psuedo science bull I see all over the place.Anyway, very highly recommended.I would love to see more books from Susskind on horizons and the holographic principle.

Folks, its about physics, not theology. Given that, it is a great book.
I a bit mystified as to why so many book reviews center around God.This is a book about physics, about using the scientific method to find out how our universe works.Indeed, it even discusses our latest tentative views about many possible universes (an infinite number of them?) might work.
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Subjects:  1. Astrophysics    2. Cosmogony    3. Cosmology    4. Intelligent design (Teleology)    5. Mathematical Physics    6. Philosophy & Social Aspects    7. Physics    8. Physics (Specific Aspects)    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Science / Physics   

Editorial Review

The third edition of Read more

Reviews (58)

Novice?It's perfect.Expert?You'll enjoy it.Buying a telescope?You need it!
I can't say "thank you" enough to Terence Dickinson for this book.His writing is so engaging, and he makes things very easy to understand.The star maps are fantastic and the photos are stunning.Perhaps the most important thing to me, though, was the section on buying a telescope.As I was in the market for a new scope, and hadn't even looked through a scope in nearly 6 years, I really needed some advice.I'd never even heard of a Dobson telescope until I read this book.I was especially intrigued by Mr. Dickinson's comment on his not understanding why more people don't own Dobsons, as they provide large aperture for relatively low cost.I started doing more research after reading this, and today I am the proud owner of a 10" Dobson scope, an Orion Intelliscope XT10.That part aside, though, I've had many hours of enjoyment from "Nightwatch" and know it will be one of my constant companions for many years.

Begin the Journey
Whether you're just mildly interested in Astronomy or have decided to take up star gazing as a hobby this is the essential book to start you on a fascinating journey.
Great Book!
I got this book for my husband and it is one of the best basic astronomy books out there.He LOVES this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy (General)    2. Astronomy - General    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Astronomy - Observers' manuals    6. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (5)

A problem with relativistic mechanics...
David Hestenes is a forerunner of the modern development of Clifford algebra. His current research activities can be followed in the site http://modelingnts.la.asu.edu/GC_R&D.html. Probably his most important book until now (written with Garret Sobczyk) was "Clifford Algebra to Geometric Calculus: A Unified Language for Mathematics and Physics" (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1984) also available at Amazon.com. This book on the new foundations for classical mechanics (second edition) was written as an introduction to geometric algebra. The term "geometric algebra" was coined to stress that this formulation of Clifford algebra is a unified language for physics and mathematics; it is not a matrix algebra (as used in quantum mechanics in the disguised forms of Pauli and Dirac matrices) as it uses a new property, the contraction, which makes it different from other associative algebras. A recent book on geometric algebra is "Geometric Algebra for Physicists" by Chris Doran and Anthony Lasenby (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003) - see the site http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~clifford/.
Doesn't stand on its own
While I found this a reasonably well-written text, I judge a book based upon how well it stands on its own - that is, can I read the book, work through the exercises, and acquire a grasp of the topic.While this is a much clearer and more accessible intro to geometric algebra than Hestene's "Clifford Algebra to Geometric Calculus", it is more the type of book which would accompany a class in GA, where the instructor fills-in the gaps, rather than a stand-alone text.The worked exercises are relatively few, and are typically of the nature:start with this, magic, more magic, resulting answer.It lacks sufficient explanation, is not self-contained, but this can be partially overcome with additional resources.

Great for physicists, okay for others
This is a great introduction to the Geometric (Clifford) Algebra.It'sfundamentally a physics textbook, however.Those readers whose only desireis to learn the Geometric Algebra might feel some frustration at having toseparate out the Geometric Algebra from the physics.Readers that preferlearning by exploring applications and examples will like this book; thosethat prefer explanations in the abstract will still enjoy many sections,but will have to make it through the more applied sections to get the fullstory.Read more

Subjects:  1. Astrophysics & Space Science    2. Physics    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Classical mechanics    6. Mechanics    7. Science / Astrophysics & Space Science    8. Science / Mechanics