Appropriate Technology: Tools, Choices and Implications (Academic Press Series in Engineering) [Paperback]

Barrett Hazeltine (Author), Christopher Bull (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0123351901 | ISBN-13: 978-0123351906 | Edition: 1st

The introduction of technology into developing communities around the world is closely tied to the everyday jobs of international aid workers, engineers, health professionals, social workers, and members of religious organizations. A majority of people involved with international development have a non-technical background. In addition, engineers have not been trained to consider societal implications of introducing new technologies into developing communities.
Appropriate Technology is written for both non-technical and technical students and professionals who are interested in or currently working in international and community development. The book presents a thorough coverage of the engineering design process as well as complete coverage of commonly used technological systems, processes, and devices. Of equal importance is the book's thorough coverage of the societal impact, political influence, and financial implications of introducing new systems and technologies. Appropriate Technology provides interesting and challenging end-of-chapter projects and problems for self study. It teaches the non-engineer the principles and process of design, and encourages readers to create and design appropriate technologies for various situations.

Key Features
* First book to present the fundamentals of the design of appropriate technologies with a strong emphasis on the social impact on the community
* Accessible to non-technical and technical professionals and students
* Thorough, understandable guide to the common technologies of solar, wind, and hydroelectric power
* Describes the use of specific tools such as bicycle-driven machines, pumps, and cook stoves, as well as processes such as aquaculture and agriculture
* Includes chapters such as Appropriate Technology in the Third World, Appropriate Technology in the United States, and a unique chapter, Culture and Women
* Challenges the reader with end-of-chapter projects and problems for self-study or classroom use
* Demonstrates the societal implications of technology
* Teaches principles of process of design
* Encourages readers to design appropriate technologies for different situations
* Includes interesting and challenging end-of-chapter projects and problems for self-study or for use in a classroom setting

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Strongly recommended not only for liberal arts studens but also for those in scientific and engineering curricula, and for professionals as well. General readers; undergraduates; two-year technical program students."
--CHOICE, May 1999
"Growing out of an engineering course taught at Brown University for liberal arts students, Appropriate Technology demonstrates how to broaden the impact of engineering on the nonengineer. Both the course and the book advocate using technology as a vehicle to "foster the goals of a liberal arts education: increasing students' analytical ability, their understanding of the contemporary world, their confidence in dealing with complex problems, and their ethical and aesthetic sensitivity."
"The book is divided into two sections, focusing first on the technologies themselves-electricity, hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic devices, among others-and then on how these technologies are used. Each well-organized chapter includes an extensive set of problems and projects that allow students to apply what they have studied."
"Engineering design courses could benefit from using this book, which presents clearly the need to anticipate the influence of engineering and technology in bringing about cultural change.
Technical readers and nontechnical readers alike will find something of interest in Appropriate Technology. It should be required reading for anyone in a public policy-making position..."
--ASEE PRISM ONLINE, Dec 1999

From the Back Cover

An increasing number of professionals, students, and volunteers throughout the world are working in a vast array of settings in developing communities. Appropriate Technology: Tools, Choices, and Implications gives both non-technical and technical international workers a thorough understanding of some of the most common and important technologies being introduced in small-scale community development. The book is written to help the reader create and design appropriate technological systems, processes, and devices for a variety of settings.

Of equal importance to the coverage of technologies in the book is the emphasis placed on the societal impact and implications of these new technologies.

Features
* First book to present the fundamentals of the design of appropriate technologies with a strong emphasis on the social impact on the community
* Accessible to non-technical and technical professionals and students
* Thorough, understandable guide to the common technologies of solar, wind, and hydroelectric power
* Describes the use of specific tools such as bicycle-driven machines, pumps, and cook stoves, as well as processes such as aquaculture and agriculture
* Includes chapters such as Appropriate Technology in the Third World, Appropriate Technology in the United States, and a unique chapter, Culture and Women
* Challenges the reader with end-of-chapter projects and problems for self-study or classroom use.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1st edition (October 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0123351901
• ISBN-13: 978-0123351906
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Engineering Text for Non-Engineers June 3, 2008

By L. Bentley

Format:Paperback

While written to be a text book for a non-engineering Appropriate Technology course, the book provides both the formulas needed to build these systems along with a simple enough description of them to allow their operation and construction to be understood by non-engineers.
Hits the rare middle ground with enough info to do it, without being too theoretical to be readable.
I've passed on several copies to friends.

5 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars DSP algorithm implementation in hardware March 27, 2000

By "bybrain_yahoo_com"

Format:Hardcover

Designers interested in application specific digital signal processing VLSI could benefit from this title. Not for digital signal processor design.