Applied Dimensional Analysis and Modeling [Hardcover]

Thomas Szirtes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070628114 | ISBN-13: 978-0070628113 | Publication Date: November 1, 1997 | Edition: 1

Learn to apply the "dimensional method" to facilitate the design and testing of engineering and physical systemsÑand greatly accelerate the development of products. This is the first book to offer a practical approach to modeling and dimensional analysis, emphasizing the interests and problems of the engineer and applied scientist. Packed with illustrations, graphs, numeric tables, and concrete case studies, this in-depth reference work explains both dimensional analysis and scale modeling...concisely describes constructions of dimensional systems, including SI (metric) and Imperial (U.S.)...and provides over 250 worked-out examples drawn from engineering, applied physics, biomechanics, astronomy, geometry, and economics .

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

A truly unique reference work that offers Engineers and Scientist the tools necessary to tackle extremely comlex problems --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Capitalize on the powerful "dimensional method" for designing and testing all types of engineering and physical systems. Learn the fine art of applied dimensional techniques--analyses and modeling--to facilitate the design and testing of engineering systems and accelerate the development of products. This is a book that offers a practical, results-oriented approach to methods of dimensional analysis and modeling, emphasizing the interests and problems of the engineer and applied scientist. Packed with illustrations, graphs, numeric tables, substantive case studies, this in-depth reference puts the vast potential of the "dimensional method" at your disposal. This practical productivity tool: Explains both dimensional analysis and scale modeling in a comprehensive manner; Concisely describes the structure and principal characteristics of dimensional systems, including the SI (metric) and Imperial (U.S.) systems; Gives a newly developed and extremely efficient method of generating dimensionless variables, which form the bases of all dimensional modeling; Provides over 250 worked-out examples drawn from engineering, applied physics, biomechanics, astronomy, geometry, and economics. A landmark reference with a broad range of design, testing, and evaluation applications, Applied Dimensional Analysis and Modeling will save you enormous amounts of time, money, and effort in product development testing--and minimize the likelihood of design flaws.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 790 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (November 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070628114
• ISBN-13: 978-0070628113
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,688,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful Encyclopedic Book with Fundamental Problems, August 8, 2009

By 

J. Rantschler "J." (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Applied Dimensional Analysis and Modeling, Second Edition (Hardcover)

Thomas Szirtes' _Applied Dimensional Analysis and Modeling_ is an encyclopedic beast of a book. There are many, many worked examples, both standards that are found in Bridgeman and others (like the period of a pendulum), and novel ones. It also has all of the tricks that allow for effective use of the techniques of dimensional analysis in more complicated problems like breaking the mass into inertial and gravitational aspects to solve problems (and send your thoughts down the road of bad philosophy). For this reason alone it is a useful book.

It has some problems, however, that make it difficult for me to recommend the book to someone who doesn't have a good grasp of units, dimensions, and the difference between the two, even though Szirtes intends the book for those with only "an inquisitive mind and a knowledge of basic mechanics and electricity" and "elementary matrix arithmetic." These problems are:

1. Szirtes' use of dimensions and units is non-standard, calling meters a dimension rather than a unit, making ideas like coversion more difficult and some of the examples more convoluted than they need to be,
2. Many of the problems and examples have implied units, so that he might write a formula for velocity in terms of time as v = 9.81 t + 3.2 [this is not in the text, I use it because it's simple],
3. The more mathematical sections include sloppy proofs that, in my view, don't yield any additional understanding.

These are all serious problems for a beginner, who could pick up some bad habits from the book. Something that makes the book a little less useful than it could be is a paucity of electricity and magnetism examples, which are mechanics heavy.

I think this book would be a good introduction for someone with a solid background in physics or engineering or someone who has looked at a less challenging or thorough book in dimensional analysis (such as Bridgeman). I also think it is also a good book for instructors, being a treasure trove of examples, even if they should be sanitized before being given to students.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something every technical profeesional should have, December 4, 2003

By 

Clint Steele (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Applied Dimensional Analysis and Modeling (Hardcover)

An incredibly easy book to read. I found I could go from section to section and extract the knowledge that needed at that time. Sometimes I just pick it up and open it at random and I often get something new out of it. After being exposed to this book you can see how dimensional analysis is something that most of us should be capable of applying to those problems that lend themselves to no other approach. The only reason I gave it 4 and not 5 was because I would have liked to see more financial examples and I don't think amperes should be considered a fundamental unit. One of the best technical books I have bought.