Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not great, October 2, 2005
First let me stress, this subject is hard, very hard. This may very well be the toughest subject you take in college. Regarding the book, it has some very strong points, and some very week points.
Pros:
1. There are some good examples
2. Answers to some difficult, multiple part problems are given (under the problems which is quite handy) so that you can complete later parts of a problem if you are not able to solve the early parts.
3. Figures used in text are well defined and labeled very well.
4. Problems are well organized and titled based upon the material they cover.
5. There are few, if any, pictures, figures, or other useless graphics or material that so many textbook writers include, that add virtually nothing to the learning of the subject at hand. This is very nice because it keeps the weight of the textbook relatively low, and does not force you to scan through the 'fluff' to find the pertinent information.
Cons:
1. Unit conversion tables are unconventional, awkward, and are very limited. Some students may have conversions memorized, however, this is not always the case, and for some obscure units, the conversions are not given and must be found elsewhere.
2. Examples are hit or miss. As I said, there are some good examples, however, there are some that are not very useful.
3. Problems can be somewhat cryptic, and not at all straightforward.
4. Sometimes skips key steps in derivations leading to confusing results.
5. Chapter reviews are nonexistent. It would be very nice if there were a list of important equations, definitions, and key concepts at the end of each chapter.
I understand that this is a very tough subject, especially if this is the first time seeing the material. When I took this course at the University of Minnesota, I knew it was going to be difficult, and this book did help me learn the material, however, this book really could be better.
I would recommend this book only if you have completed a course in multivariable calculus (you must understand multivariable calculus very well), linear algebra, a strong background in physics, experience in physical chemistry including thermodynamics. Some experience or coursework in quantum mechanics would also be very useful.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely the best book I've used in Chemical Engineering, May 6, 1999
This book progresses quite rapidly through the various topics; usually begining with a one dimentional analysis and then proceding to more general treatment. This more general treatment tends to consist of Tensor analysis which is explained to a working extent in an appendix. However, after these general equations have been derived they are only refefered to by there location out of a comprehensive chart. Furthermore, the student is trained to use intuition in their approach to problem solving.In general the text is incredibly consistant and well written. The examples and problems grow from a relitively basic level to those that can only be solved with advanced engineering Mathematics. The progression builds on itself in a nice way.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I like this book very much, April 24, 2005
Many years ago, when I was still in college and needed a part-time job, some people asked me if I could solve heat and mass transfer problems. I said I wasn't sure, so they recommended the first edition of this book. I simply read the book and then asked them about the problems they were working on. They explained their problems in detail and hired me to work on them. And because of this book, I had no trouble solving them. This book opened up a whole new world to me. I've used it as a reference ever since.
Of course, before I read this book, I had learned an enormous amount of pure mathematics and engineering mathematics. As well as fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. I think you need to be confident about your ability to handle the math to get full value from this text.
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