Customer Reviews

Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Strength:
1)Introduces Thermodynamic in a understandable manner
2)All homework problems are engineering-related, allowing better grasp of knowledge
3)Helpful example problems with great illustrations and step-by-step explanation
4)There's a chapter summary of equations and conception throughout the book. This is great for test preparation.
5)Vivid analogies to convey abstract concepts such as entrophy, enthalpy, and exergy.
Weakness:
1)The book mainly covers Classical rather than statistical thermodynamics, which mean students in chem, physics, and chem engineering will not be fully prepared for future courses in thermodynamics

Overall, this is very good way to start thermodynamics, especially if this is the first time encountering thermo. However, if to continue to take more thermo, this book focuses main on engineering rather than other disciplines.

This text is a fairly standard treatment of classical (macroscopic) thermodynamics. It is targeted specifically at students of mechanical engineering. Anyone going into some other engineering discipline that depends on thermo (e.g., chem eng) -- or into one of the hard sciences (physics, biophys, biochem, chemistry, etc.) -- will get very little value from this book. Its main focus seems to be on the use of the right formula to solve specific kinds of problems. ("Plug and chug.")

There are many annoying things about this book. Perhaps the worst are the contrived "special topics" sections. These are an attempt by the authors to bring some kind of real-world relevance to their subject matter. These might also be called "Thermodynamics in Everyday Life." The concept is good, but the execution falls flat on it face. A few examples:

* 12 pages on dieting advice and recipes.

* 10 pages on choosing an automobile and driving it so as to maximize mileage.

* A long and detailed description of the method of electrically stunning, slaughtering, and freezing chickens.

* Several pages on the disadvantages of saying angry things to your co-workers (it increases "social entropy").

All-in all, these "special topics" fill about 20% of the book's total page count. The book would have been clearer, shorter, and presumably less expensive without them; it would also have killed fewer trees - another topic the authors devoted a "special topic" section to.

The artwork in the book is pathetic as well. The majority of it seems to be 2-D vector images taken from a freebie clipart collection. This alternates with some "Dagwood and Blondie" cartoons where (apparently) the authors have replaced the contents of the dialog baloons with clever sayings about thermodynamics.

In summary, this is a very irritating book to use. The level of information not very deep, and all the "good stuff" is hidden away between discussions of salad dressing and frozen chicken carcasses. There's got to be something better out there.

Books do not need to be updated every year. . . the three laws are always the same.

The book is great at covering the fundamentals. There are plenty of examples and the material is well explained. The CD that comes with the book was also a GREAT supplement. The CD has concise explanations that are simpler and quicker to understand.

Okay, I always bought international editions when I can get it cheaper, but!! BE CAREFUL this international edition the content is same but home work problems and solutions are mixed SO ARE NOT IDENTICAL TO THE US EDITION.

When I turn in my first homework assignment, everything was wrong because this book have problems that are different than the US edition.

I bought this book for a class that required the 6th edition, thinking that the problems would be different but the layout would be the same. Not so much. The layout is completely different; one chapter in this edition has been broken into two by the sixth. As a result, this book was completely useless to me.

The 5th edition of this book is great even though the 7th edition is already out. The information is the same and the laws of Thermodynamics wont change for a great while!

I have used this textbook for my engineering thermodynamics class and have found it to be a very interesting and straightforward text. Cengel and Boles begin with the basics and build up to more advanced topics. The problems in this text are challenging and reinforce concepts learned in previous chapters. Answers are included with some of the problems so that you can compare your answers when you finish. Examples are numerous and generally very helpful. However, this text has its drawbacks. The notation in the examples can be confusing and sometimes don't make mathematical sense. In addition, Cengel and Boles have a number of mistakes in the answers they provide. Despite these detractors, I definitely recommend this text for anyone wanting a solid introduction to engineering thermodynamics.

My class used only the first eleven chapters, but it was clear that the chapters were written more with a mechanical engineering bent of mind. The theory part was great, but the examples could use more work, especially for the thermodynamic cycle problems, which would have been much easier if an accompanying entropy-temperature graph was present. also, a few of the worked out solutions were incorrect. Overall, a good book, but keep a look out for alternates. Maybe the updated edition is better..

Also, make sure your copy has the property table accompanying it, because they are really important and for many problems, it is easier to use the slim tables than the heavy book.

This text explains thermodynamic concepts clearly with good analogies and insight. Topics are organized in a very logical way, with a clean layout. Problems are plentiful with a variety of difficulty levels, helping to develop a systematic approach to problem solving. Posted solutions are step-by-step and logical. It is one of the best textbooks I have ever used.