Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics w/CD-ROM [Hardcover]

Ferdinand Beer (Author), Jr.,E. Russell Johnston (Author), Elliot Eisenberg (Author), David Mazurek (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0073212199 | ISBN-13: 978-0073212197 | Publication Date: March 29, 2006 | Edition: 8

The new Eighth Edition of Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Beer/Johnston series. Continuing in the spirit of its successful previous editions, the Eighth Edition provides conceptually accurate and thorough coverage together with a significant addition of new problems, including biomechanics problems, and the most extensive media resources available. Text comes with an outstanding media package which includes, Hands on Mechanics, ARIS Homework Management System and YourOtherTeacher.Com

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.

Elliot holds a B.S. degree in engineering and an M.E. degree, both from Cornell University. He has focused his scholarly activities on professional service and teaching, and he was recognized for this work in 1992 when the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) awarded him the Ben C. Sparks Medal for his contributions to mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology education and for service to the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Elliot taught for thirty-two years, including twenty-nine years at Penn State where he was recognized with awards for both teaching and advising.

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: 648 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 8 edition (March 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073212199
• ISBN-13: 978-0073212197
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Do we really need another edition one year after the last?, May 11, 2007

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics w/CD-ROM (Hardcover)

I used this book in my Statics class in 1977 when it was in its third edition, and now my stepson is using the eighth edition in his statics class. The book was excellent almost to the point of self-teaching the subject then, and it looks like little has changed. There are still plenty of example problems, plenty of end of chapter exercises, and solutions to the vast majority of problems are in the back of the book. In the case of computer exercises, the solutions are at a special website provided by the authors. The figures are very clear and well-labeled and help illustrate the points the author is trying to make in the book. You could probably teach yourself statics using this book if you had some prior exposure to mechanics in a first semester college Physics class and with a little help from a Schaum's outline on the subject, which is always a good idea.

So why am I only giving this book three stars? I give five stars for the quality of the text and I deliver one star for the unnecessary eighth edition, thus averaging to three stars. The seventh edition was only published less than two years ago, and the new price of this book, which all current students are going to have to pay, is outrageous. Of course, this is getting to be the same old song with all successful textbook series. Rearrange a few words here and a few problems there, issue a new edition, and take all the reasonably priced used books out of circulation. This might be warranted with books on computer technology where there is rapid constant change. However, ask yourself, how much has the physics of loads on physical systems in static equilibrium changed since 2005? If you want a good statics book for self-study, get an older edition of this same book and save yourself some money. If you are a student I guess you are stuck. By the way, my third edition (I still have it and use it) cost seventeen dollars in 1977. Compared to the new edition, which is no better and no worse, the price has gone up eight times. I'm no economist but my guess is this far outpaces the rate of inflation for the last thirty years.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, May 27, 2008

By 

Bruno - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics w/CD-ROM (Hardcover)

This book is great for self learning!, most of the theorems are explained in a very good way (a little too good and normally a little to hard to understand the first time) the examples are clear and the exercises are neither easy nor difficult (well some of them are difficult, but not all of them).
I already had 2 teachers that told me they learned from this book... it's true that almost all the material is the same, but nevertheless it's a great book to get yourself started in Statics... way better than Hibbeler.
The contents of this book are worth every penny, it's almost like having a private tutor.
And remember it's engineering you'll have to do some WORK to master all the subjects.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Vector Mechanics for Engineers, September 23, 2008

By 

Savannah M. Prout "sprout" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics w/CD-ROM (Hardcover)

I don't care very much for this textbook because of how confusing some of the problems are due to misleading figures. The book itself has been around for over fifty years and they still haven't worked out all the bugs... what kind of message is that conveying from the publishers? A bad one...