Introduction to Vector Analysis [Hardcover]

Harry F. Davis (Author), Arthur David Snider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1995 | ISBN-10: 0697160998 | ISBN-13: 978-0697160997 | Edition: 7 Revised

Focusing on vector analysis, this book aims to meet the professional needs of the engineer or scientist, and to give the mathematician an understanding of the three-dimensional versions of the theorems of higher geometry. Concepts are described geometrically and then examined analytically, allowing the reader to visualize a concept before it is formally defined.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: William C Brown Pub; 7 Revised edition (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0697160998
• ISBN-13: 978-0697160997
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #703,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The older editions are better, April 30, 2003

By 

Edward H. Welbon "epiphenomenalist" (Austin, Tx United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to Vector Analysis 5ED (Hardcover)

I have the third edition and the latest edition of this book. In my opinion, the later editions have been dumbed down considerably. In addition to developing the basics of vector analysis, the older editions included splendid discussions of curvilinear coordinates, tensor analysis and touched on differential forms (the wedge product being introduced). While the latest edition features appendices covering specific applications such as Maxwells and Navier-Stokes equations, the explanations are far too brief to be of much use. I suggest that interested parties attempt to get used older editions whose content were presumably under the control of Davis (not Snider) being much better written and probably less expensive. The older edition had few typos with very useful and entertaining problem sets. A better alternative book might be "Vectors and Tensors in Engineering and Physics" by Donald A. Danielson in paperback.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for reference, not so good by itself, June 3, 2002

By 

Kathryn (Southern CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Vector Analysis (Paperback)

This book was used in my vector calculus class at UCSD. I think if I was in one of my upper division engineering classes it would be great to use as a reference to help me figure out problems. However, as a math book alone, this was not too helpful. Many of the explanations lack clarity and are from a mathmatician's point of view (in other words, very difficult for lower division students who are not math majors to understand). Also, a lot of the problems are practically impossible. The only reason I did alright in this class was because I had a great teacher. I would recommend this book for people who are in science or engineering classes and need a superficial introduction to vector calculus, but NOT for math classes that go into deep analysis of vectors.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Concise, and Useful, October 9, 2004

By 

Luis Bryce (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to Vector Analysis (Hardcover)

This text presents each subject in a very clear manner. Every subject is developed in concise proofs that are easy to remember and satisfying to those who require mathematical proofs to understand the derivation of the subjects but are not interested in long-winded theory. After each section's quick and dirty derivation, the authors provide a small yet effective selection of challenging questions to be able to gain confidence in the subject. The style of the book is also refreshing in this age of heavy books with flashy photos and wasted space. This book includes 408 pages full of useful mathematics and vector diagrams but nothing else; the book is very light and small. This is a classic.