Consider a Spherical Cow [Paperback]

John Harte (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 093570258X | ISBN-13: 978-0935702583 | Publication Date: June 1988

"This book should be read and used by all students of environmental studies, and should be an important acquisition for any research, teaching, or general academic library." Choice

Editorial Reviews

Review

"an excellent guide.This book illustrates step-by-step how to solve dozens of problems." -- Journal of Chemical Information & Computational Science

About the Author

For more than two decades, John Harte has taught courses on the quantitative aspects of environmental science at University of California, Berkeley, where he holds the Distinguished Class of 1935 Professorship in the Energy and Resources Group. His previous book, Consider a Spherical Cow, became a landmark text in the field. He is also the author of The Green Fuse and co-author of Patient Earth and Toxics A to Z. He has published numerous articles on ecology and biodiversity, water and other resources, climate change and its effects, acid precipitation, and environmental policy. John Harte received his B.A. from Harvard University and his PhD in physics from the University of Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: University Science Books (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093570258X
• ISBN-13: 978-0935702583
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody should read this book, October 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Consider a Spherical Cow (Paperback)

This book provides an excellent viewpoint on physical problem solving by "thinking outside the box". I provides great approach to setting up all types of physical problems. I found the book very useful to all types of science. You don't have to be an environmental scientist to benefit from this text. The example problems are very good and the examples stand out in my memory for a long time -- very helpful for future challenges.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, July 26, 2006

By 

John Doe - See all my reviews

This review is from: Consider a Spherical Cow (Paperback)

The book does an excellent job of teaching quantitative thinking skills and posing interesting problems. Also, it has a terrific appendix with all sorts of interesting data related to biogeochemistry.

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Teachers should not use this book!, May 31, 2009

By 

Mary Skinner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Consider a Spherical Cow (Paperback)

The book, although it gives a valiant effort in promoting new approaches to chemistry, is a poorly put together piece of work. The appendix is oddly organized and the format of the problems is jumbled into a mess that leaves one feeling frustrated instead of inspired. As a chemistry lover, this book was a HUGE disappointment.