Fuzzy Logic: The Revolutionary Computer Technology That Is Changing Our World [Paperback]

Daniel Mcneill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 1994

"Fuzzy logic" is a way to program computers so that they can mimic the imprecise way that humans make decisions. This technology allows for many innovative applications, including cars that virtually drive themselves, washing machines that pick the right wash cycles and water temperature automatically and air conditioning and heaters that adjust to the number of people in the room. This book traces the dramatic story of Lotfi Zadeh, an Iranian-American professor at Berkeley who began developing fuzzy logic more than 27 years ago, and his struggle and subsequent failure to sell his idea to the American academic and business communities.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 14, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671875353
• ISBN-13: 978-0671875350
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #677,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to Fuzzy Logic, June 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fuzzy Logic: The Revolutionary Computer Technology That Is Changing Our World (Paperback)

This was the first fuzzy book I read. Just picked it up randomly, wondering what fuzzy is all about. It's easy to understand, non-technical, and very enlightening. If you are curious about fuzzy logic, or want to explore what could result in a major step forward in machine "intellegence" check out this book. I only gave it an 8 (not 10) because Kosko's "Fuzzy Thinking" is the best I've read. This book is not on the same level, but still very good.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, September 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Fuzzy Logic: The Revolutionary Computer Technology That Is Changing Our World (Paperback)

McNeill does a great job in picturing the initial introduction of Fuzzy Sets, rejection by US companies, and the developments of Japanese companies. This book contains the best historical recolection on Fuzzy Logic.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History and Philosophy of Fuzzy Logic, August 4, 2002

By 

"marc_ian" (Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fuzzy Logic: The Revolutionary Computer Technology That Is Changing Our World (Paperback)

'Fuzzy Logic: A Revolutionary Computer Technology that is changing our world', a book by Daniel McNeill and Paul Freiberger, is all about the history and philosophy of fuzzy logic. This book was written nearly a decade from now and the main body consists of 275 pages of text (pp. 9 to 283). It took me 2 weeks to finish reading this book since I underlined important terms, concepts, and names of the people who contributed to the development of fuzzy logic. Without underlining, I think anyone can read this book in less than a week. The book has the following advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages:
1. It has quotations from famous people at the beginning of each chapter.
2. It is comprehensive.
3. It has been a major source of reference of most websites on fuzzy logic.
4. It is lightweight and measures approximately 7' x 5' inches.
Disadvantages:
1. It contains only a few diagrams.
2. It is monochromatic (lacks color).
3. It is generally non-technical.
I understand its predominantly non-technical approach (3rd disadvantage) because I assumed that there has been a lack of English technical references for fuzzy logic in the early 90's. Therefore, these are my comments/suggestions:
Comments/Suggestions:
1. I suggest that the authors revise the book to include 2 parts:
a. Fuzzy Logic: History and Philosophy
b. Fuzzy Logic: Concepts and Applications
2. The revised version should include more mathematical diagrams/models, sample problems with solutions, and exercises with odd-numbered solutions.
3. The revised version should include technical references such as 'Heaven in a Chip: Fuzzy Visions of Society and Science in the Digital Age' by Bart Kosko, 'Learning and Soft Computing: Support Vector Machines, Neural Networks, and Fuzzy Logic Models' by Vojislav Kecman, 'Genetic Fuzzy Systems: Evolutionary Tuning and Learning of Fuzzy Knowledge Bases' by Oscar Cordon, 'Fuzzy Engineering' by Bart Kosko, and Fuzzy Logic and Neuro Fuzzy Applications Explained' by Constantin Von Altrock.
4. The revised version should include sample applications with simulation using free downloadable fuzzy logic software/program from the internet such as FuzzyLib 2.0 and Simple Inference Engine 1.0 which are currently both available...