Customer Reviews

Statics and Strength of Materials

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great book that is no longer in print. our school had to get them reprinted. used algebra and trig, some physics. great for any construction majors or work. simple and easy to understand.

When I first took statics I used Bassin, which is an excellent book. However, in preparing for the EIT exam and having to review, Halperin's book is even better! The reasons are:

1) Concise: He does not spend a lot of time defining coplanar, colinearer, etc. Instead he simply tells you what it is then shows you how it applies.

2) Brevity: He explains the differing topics with the fewest words.

3) He introduces real world terms used in structural design as well as real world notation. At the same time along the way he gives little tidbits of information that make the subject interesting.

4) Finally, and I think even more importantly, he from the outset introduces both statics AND strength of materials! Most courses separate the two, statics first then the second half of the book strength of materials. Halperin however, from the start teaches statics while teaching strength of materials. This reduces the length of the book as well. So while Bassin is over 400 pages, covering the same topics, Halperin is about half that length.

The only downside to this book is its printing date. I had the 2nd edition, which was printed in 1981. So he makes mention of solving trig problems without a calculator using slide rules and tables. There is another edition printed in 1987 but I was unable to find it online. It would be great if he or someone else updates the book. Still I think its the best statics and strength of materials book I've ever read.