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Fundamentals of Thermodynamics

Fundamentals of Thermodynamics

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Authors: Claus Borgnakke, Richard E. Sonntag
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book

Buy New: $143.00



New (22) Used (7) from $126.10

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars 10 reviews
Sales Rank: 468321

Media: Hardcover
Edition: 7
Pages: 894
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.5
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 8 x 1.4

ISBN: 0470041927
Dewey Decimal Number: 333
EAN: 9780470041925
ASIN: 0470041927

Publication Date: August 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Also Available In:

  • Paperback - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
  • Unknown Binding - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (Coursesmart)
  • Paperback - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
  • Hardcover - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
  • Paperback - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, Tables
  • Hardcover - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
  • Hardcover - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
  • Hardcover - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
  • Hardcover - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
  • Hardcover - Fundamentals of Thermodynamics

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  • Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, Work Example Supplement
  • Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Now in its seventh edition, Fundamentals of Thermodynamics continues to offer a comprehensive and rigorous treatment of classical thermodynamics, while retaining an engineering perspective. With concise, applications-oriented discussion of topics and self-test problems the text encourages students to monitor their own comprehension. The seventh edition is updated with additional examples, homework problems, and illustrations to increase student understanding.

The text lays the groundwork for subsequent studies in fields such as fluid mechanics, heat transfer and statistical thermodynamics, and prepares students to effectively apply thermodynamics in the practice of engineering.



Customer Reviews:   Read 5 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars Received on time in said condition   October 30, 2008
M. Chavez (Los Angeles, CA)
I recived the book in a timely manner and was in good condition.
Thank you.



3 out of 5 stars An OK reference   August 1, 2008
Paul Mosier
After using this book for one semester of thermodynamics I didn't really feel like I had a good handle on the material. There is far too much superfluous information in this book to make it thicker. Some of the sections I found to be unnecessary, especially the first chapter. The only redeeming qualities of the book are the exhaustive thermo tables and the great deal of homework problems at the back of each chapter. As a student, you might want a book which lays down the concepts before jumping so quickly to practice.


1 out of 5 stars Not so clear at all   April 21, 2008
YOUSIF SALIH (NJ, USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

I would say it's more for grad students than undergrad, the way it's written makes you pull your hair out. If you really have to get this book make sure you get something else with it. also you better hope your professor is really a good teacher or else you're screwed. I always teach my self, but not with this book.


1 out of 5 stars Waste of time, waste of paper, waste of money   December 5, 2006
J. Barnes
2 out of 5 found this review helpful

This book does have one merit. The thermodynamic tables in the back are extensive and easy to read. There is a wealth of information there that makes this a worthwhile reference book.

However, this book is first and foremost a textbook, and as a learning instrument it is an utter failure.

The book is littered with errors. Some are trivial, such as misspelled words or incorrect references. However, many are serious errors such as incorrect formulas or errors in the answer key and can leave you dumbfounded as you try to figure out how a seemingly impossible miracle of mathematics can take place.

I remember one incident where I spent almost two hours working on one problem, trying everything I could think of to get my answer to line up with the answer in the back of the book. I eventually gave up and asked my professor the next day. He worked it out and it turned out that my original answer was correct and the book was wrong! This was an all-too-frequent experience for me as I used this book, and if I had a nickel for every minute I wasted finding errors in this book I would have an easy time paying for my other textbooks.

Second, the book is incredibly confusing. I had over a 3.7 GPA going into Thermo I and was in my university's honors program. I don't typically have problems with comprehending textbooks, even poorly written ones. However, this book is totally incomprehensible to a student who has never taken a course in thermodynamics. The logic meanders to and fro apparently lacking any direction. The main points of each chapter are often hidden and poorly outlined. The explanations sometimes get sidetracked by pointless trains of thought, making it rather hard to pay attention. It might as well be in Greek.

Third, the book makes almost no connection between theory and practice. If you are a visual learner, you are completely out of luck. I can't remember one single picture in the book. Most textbooks utilize pictures just for the sake of having pictures or to give the author an excuse to write a new revision. This book is in dire need of a few well-chosen pictures, but all you will get are a plethora of vague and boring diagrams. An appropriate picture can help a student make the transition from theory (in this case, the text and discussion of the book) to practice (the problems). I found that I could (with great difficulty) translate the unintelligible babble of the text into an understanding of the fundamental concepts, but when I needed to use this understanding to solve a complicated problem, the connection between theory and practice wasn't there.

The sad thing is that, if your professor uses this book and assigns problems from it, you'll probably have to buy it anyway. It's a total waste and I hope your professor is a good one because you won't be learning anything in these pages.



4 out of 5 stars My most used thermodynamics reference   October 4, 2006
John R. Keller (Houston, TX United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Over the past twenty-five years, I have used this book (or its earlier editions) as a student, teaching assistant, adjunct professor and as a practicing engineer and have found that I used this book more than the dozen or so books that I have on thermodynamics. This introductory book on thermodynamics contains many chapters devoted to the basic principles such as defining the state and the definition and determination of work. Later chapters include cycles, combustion, equilibrium and compressible flow. It is a very valuable reference for anyone involved in thermodynamics, because it contains a good overview of all the major topics and concerns.

Some of the reviews provided by current students are appropriate. The authors sometime assume that the first-time reader has a much stronger background than they do and or that can remember everything in the previous chapters. As a result, the sample problems are lacking in a detailed explanation of the concepts leaving the reader confused; however, once the reader understands thermodynamics, these sample problems can be a great help.