Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium [Paperback]

Lawrence E. Malvern (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0134876032 | ISBN-13: 978-0134876030 | Publication Date: June 11, 1977 | Edition: 1st

A unified presentation of the concepts and general principles common to all branches of solid and fluid mechanics.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A unified presentation of the concepts and general principles common to all branches of solid and fluid mechanics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 711 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1st edition (June 11, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0134876032
• ISBN-13: 978-0134876030
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD motivation & moderate math;curvilinear tensor apdx, May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium (Paperback)

Excellent! Modern in tone despite '69(C). Malvern emphasizes concepts and initially limits math to Cartesian tensors. Ch 3 reviews mechanics of materials making the transition from under-grad trig and calculus to tensor representation of stress as point-valued. Ch 4 develops strain similarly, but the complication of deformation leads to curving coordinates;"Lagrangian"(fixed in space)leads to "Eulerian"(curving as the material deforms). Ch 5 returns to math superficially reviewing the Theorems of Green, Gauss, Stokes, connecting vector to Cartesian tensor notation. You'll need another source for the concepts. Fluids, Thermodynamics, glossed. Ch 6, "Constitutive Eqns" introduces elasticity, plasticity, viscosity et c. Ch 7 "Fluid Mech." presents many classes of non-Newtonian fluids. Ch 8 "Linearized Th. of Elast." reviews many concepts and methods of solution with little motivation. Appendix I "Tensors" is worth the price of the book! Co- vs. contra-variance presented well! An Aero Engr PhD candidate asked the difference said "... one has superscripts and the other subscripts."! Malvern shows how Basis-change coefficients logically lead to that notation! Appendix II "Orthogonal Curvilinear Coordinates" presents serious tensor analysis. I never read II. This is NOT a theoretical math book. It is a good bridge from the vectors and linear media of lower courses to the math and topics of the advanced ones. WELCOME TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best continuum mechanics text ever written, July 7, 2000

By 

John Williams "Will" (Manchester, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium (Paperback)

This is the best continuum mechanics introductory textbook one will ever find in many years to come. Most of the writers in continuum mechanics write with their feet. But Malvern write with his brain and patient. His concise, vivid explaination make one really appreciate what continuum mechanics is

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on continuum mechanics!, October 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium (Paperback)

It is really amazingly that a single person can write such an excellent book! Malvern's textbook on continuum mechanics is the most cited book in continuum mechanics and essential for everyone working on this field. Every sentence is very clear and the author has really a gift in explaining complex problems and bring them into the readers mind. Beside an excellent didactic, the book contains a wide range of topics (elasticity, plasticity, fluids,...) and its contents is very useful for practical applications and for people interested in finite elements (or other numerical techniques). Although written in 1969(!) this book is still up-to-date and should be recommended for first reading to everybody who wants to work on continuum mechanics.