Customer Reviews

Thermodynamics: Principles and Practices

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

If you are having trouble getting a fire going, and you were stupid enough to have bought this book and kept it then may I suggest you use it for kindling material.(Note: I don't endorse burning books) Although the author may have good intentions, good intentions don't make a good textbook as this one is the most indecipherable I have ever read. I feel your pain fellow reader. My advice to you is to try and unload this book on some unsuspecting fool that you don't like.

I too have had the misfortune of being assigned reading and assignments from this text. Dr. Saad is touted as quite a genius when it comes to thermodynamics, but his treatment of it is not reasonable for the undergraduate level. Giving this textbook to someone who has never studied thermodynamics will only confuse and frustrate them. It's likely that Santa Clara is the only school still using this text and if so, why? For what those kids are paying, they can do a lot better.

Thermodynamics is an axiomatic science. Axiomatic Science. Although this phrase sounds somewhat intelligent, it really isn't especially when the it is repeated at least 100 times throughout the book.

Even worse is the fact that the examples in the text are, simply put, useless! They are the simplest thermodynamics questions you could ever have.

To the author, I would say to you, wherever you may be teaching, God Bless Your Students.

Bah

I see many (who appear to be students) complaining about this text. However, having studied thermodynamics for some time from many different sources I find the text excellent in its clarity and detail. I think students exposed to this material for the first time will find the text too detailed (for example in the mathematical treatment). However, I find it a refreshing treatment compared with many texts which rely simply on intuition and non-rigorous arguments. I highly recommend it to people who find the more common treatment of thermodynamics lacking and seek a deeper and more advanced understanding of the subject.

Well, I had the great luck of being assigned this book for class. The thing is, my thermo teacher assigned this book because students couldn't find a solutions manual to it. Anyway, this book is completely useless. For any useful information I have to resort to my Fundamentals of Thermal-Fluid Sciences book from Cengel and Turner. Formulas in Saad's book magically appear out of nothing. The examples suck hard. The text is worthless. I am just glad I bought it used online. I feel sorry for any student who purchased the paperback version in our bookstore for $118. Hmmm.. from all the 1-star reviews here I think a uniform opinion has been established.

The examples within this book are no aid in solving thermodynamic problems in an instructor's class or in real life. Far too much weight is given in producing complex theorem derivations instead of towards practical application of thermodynamics leaving the reader confused as to the actual use of thermodynamics. Using this book as part of my instruction in Engineering left me feeling disappointed and bitter. Having had Dr. Saad as an instructor, I know he is brilliant man, having been in the field of thermodynamics for over 30 years. Fellow collegues throughout the valley will vouch for his excellent reputation as their teacher in the past. It is a pity that this current edition of the textbook does not reflect this and will turn away more students from engineering than welcome.

I highly recommend this book for any insomniac who wishes to be bored to sleep. Or anyone who ever needed a paper weight. If you do not fall into to these two categories, then this book is not for you.

HIC

The only reason this book even sold a copy was because he made his students buy it. He is a horrible teacher and even worse author. Save your money. If you have to have this book for class, buy it at the book store, photo copy it and return it immediately for a full refund!

I'd like to comment on the concept of entropy. BAH.

Peace out, The Saadomized.