Mechanics of Materials [Hardcover]

Ferdinand Beer (Author), Jr., E. Russell Johnston (Author), John DeWolf (Author), David Mazurek (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0077221400 | ISBN-13: 978-0077221409 | Publication Date: May 8, 2008 | Edition: 5

At McGraw-Hill, we believe Beer and Johnston’s Mechanics of Materials is the uncontested leader for the teaching of solid mechanics. Used by thousands of students around the globe since it’s publication in 1981, Mechanics of Materials, provides a precise presentation of the subject illustrated with numerous engineering examples that students both understand and relate to theory and application.

The tried and true methodology for presenting material gives your student the best opportunity to succeed in this course. From the detailed examples, to the homework problems, to the carefully developed solutions manual, you and your students can be confident the material is clearly explained and accurately represented.

If you want the best book for your students, we feel Beer, Johnston’s Mechanics of Materials, 5th edition is your only choice.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in France and educated in France and Switzerland, Ferd held an M.S. degree from the Sorbonne and an Sc.D. degree in theoretical mechanics from the University of Geneva. He came to the United States after serving in the French army during the early part of World War II and had taught for four years at Williams College in the Williams-MIT joint arts and engineering program. Following his service at Williams College, Ferd joined the faculty of Lehigh University where he taught for thirty-seven years. He held several positions, including the University Distinguished Professors Chair and Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department, and in 1995 Ferd was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by Lehigh University.

Born in Philadelphia, Russ holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Delaware and an Sc.D. degree in the field of structural engineering from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught at Lehigh University and Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) before joining the faculty of the University of Connecticut where he held the position of Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department and taught for twenty-six years. In 1991 Russ received the Outstanding Civil Engineer Award from the Connecticut Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

John T. DeWolf, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Connecticut, joined the Beer and Johnston team as an author on the second edition of Mechanics of Materials. John holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Hawaii and M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in structural engineering from Cornell University. His research interests are in the area of elastic stability, bridge monitoring, and structural analysis and design. He is a registered Professional Engineer and a member of the Connecticut Board of Professional Engineers. He was selected as the University of Connecticut Teaching Fellow in 2006.

David holds a B.S. degree in ocean engineering and a M.S. degree in civil engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. degree in civil engineering from the University of Connecticut. He was employed by General Dynamics Corporation Electric Boat Division for five years, where he provided submarine construction support and conducted engineering design and analysis associated with pressure hull and other structures. In addition, he conducted research in the area of noise and vibration transmission reduction in submarines. He then taught at Lafayette College for one year prior to joining the civil engineering faculty at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he has been since 1990. David is currently a member of the American Railway Engineering & Maintenance-of-way Association Committee 15 (Steel Structures), and the American Society of Civil Engineers Committee on Blast, Shock, and Vibratory Effects. He has also worked with the Federal Railroad Administration on their bridge inspection training program. Professional interests include bridge engineering, railroad engineering, tall towers, structural forensics, and blast-resistant design. He is a licensed professional engineer in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 5 edition (May 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0077221400
• ISBN-13: 978-0077221409
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Mechanics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor answer key, February 8, 2006

By 

Michael Ploof (Flint, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mechanics of Materials (Hardcover)

The book explained the concepts of the subject well enough, but the number of typos in the problems and in the answer key led to many hours of frustration. I was often under the impression I was doing something wrong, only to find out the givens in a problem had incorrect prefixes, or some other error.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid exercise book, January 24, 2003

By 

Kevin Reza Aroom (College Park, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mechanics of Materials with Tutorial CD (Hardcover)

This book has a lot of interesting questions, but does not really delve into giving detailed procedures for getting answers. In the practice exercises, it skips a bunch of steps, assuming that the reader would already know what to do. At other points in the book, they painstakingly go through simple concepts. This was frustrating situation at times, which was exacerbated by having an incompetent professor. In the end, this book saved my hide by having good pictures and somewhat straightfoward approaches to mechanics problems. Also, the answers in the back of the book are a HUGE help. From them, you can usually identify a stupid mistake in your answer which could be the result of too many or too few zeros.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Another overpriced unnecessary edition ..., February 14, 2009

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mechanics of Materials (Hardcover)

...and STILL the answer key is wrong. From the Wikipedia:
"In materials science, the strength of a material refers to the material's ability to withstand an applied stress without failure. Yield strength refers to the point on the engineering stress-strain curve (as opposed to true stress-strain curve) beyond which the material begins deformation that cannot be reversed upon removal of the loading. Ultimate strength refers to the point on the engineering stress-strain curve corresponding to the maximum stress."

The last edition of this book was in 2005. What exactly in the above definition of this subject matter has changed in the last four years? Are our bridges in danger of breaking into pieces and floating into space? Or perhaps the authors have lost a great deal in the stock market and picking the pockets of students who had a great supply of affordable used fourth editions was the solution to the authors' problems?

I used this book in one of its much earlier incarnations (early 90's) for a class, and it was wonderfully written. The prose was clear, the examples to the point, and the illustrations were entirely adequate. However, that was the second or so edition, and the answer key was still wrong back then. I compared the fourth edition of this book to my stepson's fifth edition, and I have to say, what is the point? The sections have been rearranged as have the questions, and it appears some of the errors in previous editions are gone, but new ones have popped up, in some cases to problems that have been in this book for years but have just been put in a different place in the book.

If this book was about the underlying subject of material science aimed at seniors or graduate students, well that subject changes quickly. However, this is a book aimed at college sophomores, and the underlying calculations have not changed. I really loved studying this subject with my second edition. Since that edition was sufficient in 1992, I don't know why three more editions with no more room for improvement with the exception of the answer key which has still not been fixed is necessary for anything but the publisher's bottom line.