Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art

Book Description

Robert J. Lang, one of the world's foremost origami artists and scientists, presents the never-before-described mathematical and geometric principles that allow anyone to design original origami, something once restricted to an elite few. From the theoretical underpinnings to detailed step-by-step folding sequences, this book takes a modern look at the heart of the centuries-old art of origami.

Origami novices will appreciate the organization of the book, which begins with easy techniques and progresses to deep and powerful tools for design, all based on simple, intuitive concepts like grafting, circle packing, and assembly of tiles.

Both novices and aficionados will find detailed, step-by-step instructions for previously unpublished models, including the famous "Black Forest Cuckoo Clock."

Customer Reviews:

Not an origami recipe book.......2006-01-13

Dr. Lang delves into the hows and whys of origami design exploring origami the way Alton Brown explores food and cooking.

The instructions for creating beautifully made koi decorating the cover are not included in their entirety, notably excluding the sequence for creating the scales. Instead, Lang describes the principles and techniques for creating textures on paper, leaving the creation of the fish as an exercise for the reader.

If you're looking for a recipe book for cool origami designs, then this is not the book for you. Rather, this book is for anyone curious about just how the heck someone makes a cuckoo clock out of one uncut sheet of paper.

A truly incredible book!.......2005-09-28

By far and away the most comprehensive book on origami design and theory that I have every seen. There are thousands of books containing origami models, but few, if any, actually take the time to explain how the models were created in the first place. If Robert Lang didn't already hold a Ph.D., this book could serve as a dissertation. In addition to the theory and concepts of origami model design, this book also contains excellent models that demonstrate the principles covered in each chapter. I have always enjoyed folding Robert Lang's models in the past. They are challenging and extremely rewarding. I am a very good techincal folder but I could never really create my own models. This book has started me on my own path towards creating my own origami models to fold. While this book certainly could be useful to beginning origami folders, it best serves intermediate to advanced enthusiasts.

A great origami book.......2005-09-28

This is one of the best origami books ever written. Robert Lang is known for producing complex origami models and here he teaches the mathematical thought process behind the creation of these pieces. The book contains a number of chapters covering different methods of producing particular types of origami works and then each chapter ends with a series of advanced origami models for you to make with complete diagrammatical instructions.

The book is a wonderful instruction manual on how to create original origami designs but it also includes many sets of instructions for origami models which have never before been published. The exquisite Koi carp on the front cover (which I have seen in real life) is included as is the frog, and the infamous Black Forest Cuckoo Clock instructions are included at the end of the book. Don't try to make these pieces with ordinary paper - you will want to use very fine bank weight paper, tissue foil or wet folding with Canson or Elephant Hide paper to get good results.

This volume is an essential addition to any paperfolder's bookshelf and will provide many hours of interesting reading and wonderful models to fold.

The one book that every origami fan MUST have!.......2004-12-08

Robert Lang's book is one of the most amazing origami books I have ever seen. Disregard the higher than normal price for the book, it is worth every penny.

People who are simply interested in folding models will be delighted by the awe-inspiring Black Forest Cuckoo Clock and the collection of turtles (complete with shell designs). Other models include birds, a moose, a train, a valentine heart, and many, many others...all out of one sheet of paper with no cutting.

The books real value, however, is its wonderful discussion of the origami design process. Lang breaks down many different aspects and techniques of design into understandable bites. Personally, I enjoyed the mathematical discussions throughout, especially the tree theory section.

The bottom line: (out of 10)
---------------

Model Value:
9 (not a book entirely of models, but the models that are contained are gorgeous)
Instruction Clarity:
9 (excellent considering how complicated the models are)
Difficulty:
10 (even origami pros will be challenged by the clock and the tiling of the fish and turtle)
Enjoyment:
10 (reading the book is as gratifying as actually reproducing one of the models within it)
Overall Value (not an average):
10 (a true masterpiece)

The key to understand Robert Lang's work.......2004-10-12

If you are like me, at some point you developed an interest in Origami and your attention was caught by Robert Lang's books. I bought "Origami Insects and their Kin" and was immediately fascinated by the lifelike and ingenuity of the models. My fascination became frustration when I tried to find any model in the book that was "doable". With much patience, wasted paper and a few suicide attempts :-), I finally did one - the ant ! I kept coming back to the Praying Mantis and the Pill Bug with no luck. Then I found this magnificent book - Origami Design Secrets. By studying the methodology created by Dr. Lang, one can see the method behind his genious (or madness :-). I was stumped by a sequence in the Praying Mantis, then I understood what was behind it once I read the chapter on "splitting"... It was like a revelation! The presentation of this book, the didactics and the clarity are superb. Dr Lang created a whole new field of science to explain Origami. It also helps the creative process and the goal to eventually create your own models. I will never be a "virtuoso" like Dr. Lang, but this book opened a whole new set of doors for me. I highly recommend it!

Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architecture and Design)

Average customer rating:

tackles a conceptual discontuity

Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architecture and Design)
Anant Agarwal , and Jeffrey Lang
Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Signals and Systems (2nd Edition)
Computer Explorations in Signals and Systems Using MATLAB (2nd Edition)
Vibrations and Waves (M.I.T. Introductory Physics Series)
The Art of Electronics
Electromagnetic Vibrations, Waves, and Radiation

ASIN: 1558607358
Release Date: 2005-07-15

Book Description

Unlike books currently on the market, this book attempts to satisfy two goals: combine circuits and electronics into a single, unified treatment, and establish a strong connection with the contemporary world of digital systems. It will introduce a new way of looking not only at the treatment of circuits, but also at the treatment of introductory coursework in engineering in general.
Using the concept of ''abstraction,'' the book attempts to form a bridge between the world of physics and the world of large computer systems. In particular, it attempts to unify electrical engineering and computer science as the art of creating and exploiting successive abstractions to manage the complexity of building useful electrical systems. Computer systems are simply one type of electrical systems.

+Balances circuits theory with practical digital electronics applications.

+Illustrates concepts with real devices.

+Supports the popular circuits and electronics course on the MIT OpenCourse Ware from which professionals worldwide study this new approach.

+Written by two educators well known for their innovative teaching and research and their collaboration with industry.

Customer Reviews:

tackles a conceptual discontuity.......2005-09-13

Agarwal and Lang offer a pedagogy to tackle a serious disconnect that often arises in this field. At the low level of physics and electrical engineering, the EE student learns of basic device physics of such circuit elements as a PN diode or a MOSFET. Everything here is inherently analog. So you get I-V curves that characterise the devices, say. The book gives this good coverage.

But it also addresses the longer distance scale, where these devices are connected into a circuit for digital electronics. It is here that the abstractions of Boolean algebra take hold. Vital in letting the student have a simple conceptual model, upon which can be built the entire panoply of computer science.

The merit of this book is in the care with which it addresses this conceptual discontinuity. Now, it might be argued that there is no such discontinuity. There is a logical rigour to all this, that long predates the book. True enough. But the pedagogic reality is that the teaching of electrical engineering and of computer science are all too often two separate disciplines. One analog, one digital. The student attempting to understand both can easily get confused, through no fault of her own. Hopefully, the didactic approach of the book can mitigate this unfortunate occurrence. It is useful that a few students, at least, should have a deep understanding of a seamless transition from nanoscale physics to software.

Average customer rating:

Poor Intro to Digital
A Book Not To Read
Tell your teacher to get another book!
Good reference, poor for beginners
If you want something detailed, this book ain't it

Introduction to Digital Systems
Milo&sacute; D. Ercegovac , Tomás Lang , and Jaime H. Moreno
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Principles of Semiconductor Devices (The Oxford Series in Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Electric Circuits (8th Edition)
Engineering Electromagnetics with CD (McGraw-Hill Series in Electrical Engineering)
Data Abstraction and Problem Solving with C++: Walls and Mirrors (4th Edition)
MIPS Assembly Language Programming

ASIN: 0471527998

Book Description

A basic grounding in one of today's quickly evolving technologies. To gain one's bearing in the whirlwind of rapid development in the digital theory arena, getting a firm grasp of the basics is vital. This book provides a solid foundation in the elements of basic digital electronic and switching theory. Down to earth, yet scholarly in approach, it builds on theory with discussions of real-world digital components, design methodologies, and tools. A companion Web site provides additional information.

Customer Reviews:

Poor Intro to Digital.......2005-05-22

This book was assigned for my undergrad intro digital logic class. It is probably the worst possible introduction to the subject. The material is only mildly to moderately difficult in practice, but the authors managed to make it convoluted. If you are unfortunate enough to have this book assigned, I suggest that you purchase another textbook on the subject, and just get the homework problems from your classmates or from the reserve copy at the library.

A Book Not To Read.......2002-11-01

This book is absolutely horrible. The Professor who teaches this class with this book HE WROTE, is utterly dispicible because of his teaching ability. This professor, at UC Irvine does not know the one bit in teaching a COMPLICATED subject like Digital Systems to a class who has had little to no experiece with this type of work. I hope this book is revoked for any reason, and hope that professor reads this review in order to gain some knowledge about the way he is teaching a class of Engineers in an era where knowledge is not automatically achieved, rather taught by knowledgable instructors.

Tell your teacher to get another book!.......2000-06-26

I used this book for an introductory logic design class. I was able to learn from it, but it was difficult. The teacher didn't even use it much. The book was not well written and hard to understand. I recommend learning from another book.

Good reference, poor for beginners.......2000-03-29

I began learning about hardware design with this book. Now I use it for reference.

But for beginners, this is not a very good book. Although hardware design is somewhat difficult to explain, the book does not analyze subjects in detail or how circuits work. When it does try to explain topics, it does not do so clearly and provides few examples. Unless you have outside help (such as a teacher, professor, teaching assistant, etc.), I would definitely recommend finding another book to learn about hardware design because you will struggle while trying to figure out how things work (if you are a novice).

If you want something detailed, this book ain't it.......1999-05-25

This book is very "bare" when and it doesn't offer enought examples. This book is difficult to understand and takes deciphering the material takes many tedious hours. Therefore, I would like to conclude by saying this is absolutly the worst text book that was ever written.

Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs)

Average customer rating:

Stokes Field Guide To Bird Songs
good set, very useful
Bird songs
Drove the cat crazier...
Birdjam Use

Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs)
Donald Stokes , and Lillian Stokes
Manufacturer: Hachette Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Western Region (Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs)
Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guides)
Bird Song Ear Training Guide: Who Cooks for Poor Sam Peabody? Learn to Recognize the Songs of Birds from the Midwest and Northeast States
A Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)
More Birding by Ear Eastern and Central North America: A Guide to Bird-song Identification (Peterson Field Guide Audio Series)

ASIN: 1570424837

Customer Reviews:

Stokes Field Guide To Bird Songs.......2007-08-23

This is the only CD that provides a complete repetoire per bird. Other CD's provide only one type of sound per bird- a call, alarm or song. You need to have a sampling of all in order to accurately identify unseen birds. I live in an important migratory bird path and until now it was frustrating trying to identify those birds in dense foliage or in flight when I could hear them much better than see them. Since I am familiar with birds most likely to visit my area, it makes identification even quicker since I first scroll to the species I suspect. I have both the Eastern and Western Field Guides since they both apply to me in Texas.

good set, very useful.......2007-06-27

I bought this set at the same time as "Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)" and am quite happy with the combination. The Stokes CDs have (nearly) all the birds in separate tracks making it easier to play just the ones I want to work with. I'm new at bird songs, so I dumped the disks to my PC and made a subdirectory of "seen" birds. Then I copied to that directory all the birds that I've visually identified in the neighborhood so I can work on learning those to start. I've copied them to my PDA and MP3 player as well to play in the car and sitting at appointments and such. The individual tracks carry not just a bird's primary song but also its different calls if it has any.

The Petersen set takes a different approach. It's a good set of disks that groups bird songs by some feature of similarity. I never knew, for instance, that robins and scarlet tanagers sound so similar. The disks are quite good for helping you learn the differences between similar-sounding species. Keep after it and you will learn to distinguish Carolina from black-capped chickadees.

Mind you, having the disks does not guarantee species identification. At this moment I'm sitting at the PC with the window to my suburban back yard open, listening to a low "chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck" that I canNOT find on either set of disks!

Bird songs.......2007-06-07

This is a great product. Some of the bird calls I wouldn't have identified as coming from a bird! The bird is named before the call. Very clear sounds.

Drove the cat crazier..........2007-06-07

The bird calls are so realistic that Joplin, our demonic cat, goes wacko everytime we play this CD. I would recommend this set for anyone who wants to learn the language of our winged friends.

Birdjam Use.......2007-03-21

We needed this product to use with our iPod Birdjam program we have...it works perfectly

Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry

Average customer rating:

Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry
Mixed feelings

Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry
Thorkild Karring , and Niklaus Peter Lang
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Dentistry | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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Carranza's Clinical Periodontology
Color Atlas of Periodontology (Color Atlas of Dental Medicine)
Periodontics: Medicine, Surgery and Implants
Periodontal Surgery: A Clinical Atlas
Prosthodontic Treatment for Edentulous Patients: Complete Dentures and Implant-Supported Prostheses

ASIN: 1405102365

Book Description

This fourth edition of Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry is the ultimate resource on periodontics. The editors are joined by over 50 expert contributors to address the full spectrum of periodontal issues. The book 's coverage extends logically from the anatomy of the periodontium through to treatment options, and elucidates the relationship between periodontal and restorative dental therapies. The section dedicated to implants in the periodontally-compromised patient reflects the increasing importance of this form of oral rehabilitation. This section includes new chapters on implant placement in the esthetic zone and issues related to supportive therapy in the implant patient.With an approximate 25% increase in length, the fourth edition keeps pace with the level of interest and growth of research in periodontology. Chapters included in previous editions have been updated and many new chapters added, including modifying factors in periodontal disease, risk assessment, and genetics in relation to periodontitis.The remarkable scholarship evident in the text is matched only by the quality of the illustrations, which guide the reader through the wealth of material detailed in the book. These features combine to make essential reading for the discerning student and practitioner and an asset to the faculty or practice library.Key FeaturesIncludes fourteen new chaptersFeatures 2000 illustrations, with over 1500 in colorDistills significant and original research findingsIncludes detailed case reportsEditors and contributors provide an international perspectiveReviews Comments on the Previous Edition'This is probably one of the most comprehensive texts written for students on the subject of clinical periodontology and implant dentistry, and I believe will make an excellent text for both the undergraduate and graduate student in periodontics. 'Australian Dental Journal'This magnum opus is truly a tour de force . . . the reviewer quickly runs out of superlatives as he peruses this third edition of today 's number one source on clinical periodontology and implant dentistry . . . I cannot begin to do justice to the breadth and depth of this tome and the beautiful color illustrations that enhance the concepts. 'American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial OrthopedicsView sample chapters online at www.blackwellpublishing.com/lindhe from April 2003Also of InterestReconstructive Aesthetic Implant SurgeryAbd El Salam El Askary0813821088Dental CariesEdited by Ole Fejerskov and Edwina Kidd1405107189A Dentist 's Pocket Guide on Breath MalodorDaniel van Steenberghe0813803969Visit our website: www.blackwellmunksgaard.com

Customer Reviews:

Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry.......2007-01-06

the book is very thorough explaining all about periodontology. But in some chapters, sometimes the words are so complex and need to be read repeatedly in order to get the meaning of the authors.In my opinion, using the simplest word is possible the best option for every reader, especially when you are in hurry time before exam, the simplest word is making the life easier. This book is recommended by my tutors.

Mixed feelings.......2003-08-30

There is a lot of information in this book, and I mean a lot. That's a good thing right? Yes and no. For being such a large, reference oriented book, this has one of the worst indexes I have ever seen. Its terrible. They obviously spent a great deal of time on the book, and its mind-boggling that they wouldn't put a good index in. As such, this is pretty much worthless for quick references. So we are left with a HUGE book, probably suitable only for perio residents, since they are probably the only ones with the motivation, obssesiveness, and lack of sanity to plow through this. Add a good index, and I'd give it five stars.

Average customer rating:

Great
Excellent
Excellent reference book.
Excellent work by Gerd-R. Lang of Chronoswiss

Chronograph Wristwatches: To Stop Time
Gerd-R Lang , and Reinhard Meis
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Automatic Wristwatches from Switzerland: Self-Winding Wristwatches
Wristwatch Annual 2007 (Wristwatch Annual)
The Rolex Report: An Unauthorized Reference Book For The Rolex Enthusiast
Complete Price Guide to Watches
Breitling: The History of a Great Brand of Watches 1884 to the Present

ASIN: 0887405029

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2004-03-04

This is a great book for those interested in chronograph watches. The pictures are very good and the detail on the movements is exceptional. The format of the book is rather large, but not too thick. Quality printing and binding. Nearly a must-have for watch collectors and horologists.

Excellent.......2004-02-28

This book is geared to the watch collector and repairer, which is exactly what I was looking for. It has an excellent description of the major dials and movements with nice large pictures. The information is detailed, in-depth and informative. A professional book. It is large format, not too thick, but the glossy pages (which is a good thing) make it heavy. For the collector / repairer of chronographs, this is a must-have book.

Excellent reference book........2002-02-12

Overall an excellent book on chronographs, which is a cross between a coffee table book and a reference work. As a collector, I refer to it a lot.

Unfortunately, the translation is poor, and there are many inconsistencies which can make it hard to follow descriptions: for example, the same component in the chronograph mechanism may be referred to by several different names. Also, the final editing of the English version leaves a lot to be desired, especially in a book of this price. Having said this, it's still a very good book, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Excellent work by Gerd-R. Lang of Chronoswiss.......1999-08-24

This book illustrates the intricacies of chronograhs in great detail and with much attention given to not-so-well-known facts. Master Watchmaker Gerd-Ruediger Lang is the founder and manager of Chronoswiss Uhren GmbH in Munich, Germany and his attention to detail can both be found in this book and in his watches, which are famous throughout the world.

Numerical Recipes in FORTRAN: The Art of Scientific Computing

Average customer rating:

Outstanding reference book on numerical algorithms
Proprietary source the Achilles' heel for non-students
A Useful Tool for Programmers, Researchers, and Students
Indispensible, a classic in the field
Routines an more routines

Numerical Recipes in FORTRAN: The Art of Scientific Computing
William H. Press , Brian P. Flannery , Saul A. Teukolsky , and William T. Vetterling
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Numerical Recipes in FORTRAN Example Book: The Art of Scientific Computing
Numerical Recipes in Fortran 90, Vol. 2
Fortran 90/95 for Scientists and Engineers
Fortran 95/2003 Explained (Numerical Mathematics and Scientific Computation)
Schaum's Outline of Programming With Fortran 77 (Schaum's Outlines)

ASIN: 052143064X

Book Description

This is the greatly revised and greatly expanded Second Edition of the hugely popular Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing. The product of a unique collaboration among four leading scientists in academic research and industry Numerical Recipes is a complete text and reference book on scientific computing. In a self-contained manner it proceeds from mathematical and theoretical considerations to actual practical computer routines. With over 100 new routines bringing the total to well over 300, plus upgraded versions of the original routines, this new edition remains the most practical, comprehensive handbook of scientific computing available today. Highlights of the new material include: -A new chapter on integral equations and inverse methods -Multigrid and other methods for solving partial differential equations -Improved random number routines - Wavelet transforms -The statistical bootstrap method -A new chapter on "less-numerical" algorithms including compression coding and arbitrary precision arithmetic. The book retains the informal easy-to-read style that made the first edition so popular, while introducing some more advanced topics. It is an ideal textbook for scientists and engineers and an indispensable reference for anyone who works in scientific computing. The Second Edition is availabe in FORTRAN, the traditional language for numerical calculations and in the increasingly popular C language.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding reference book on numerical algorithms.......2007-04-24

This is the single best book that I have found for teaching numerical methods in science and engineering to upper division undergraduates and graduate students. Students often comment that this should be the selected text even in the programming course because it provides both an overview of the methods and examples that demonstrate the application. The discussions are excellent and the Fortran 77 programs easy to follow even if one is more familiar with C or C++. You should not purchase the Fortran 90 version of this book without getting this book as well because the Fortran 90 book does not contain the excellent discussion of the methods and procedures. Rather it references this book for discussion and simply provides the F90 versions of the routines.

Proprietary source the Achilles' heel for non-students.......2002-12-03

I first bought this text in 1994 while doing scientific programming for graduate school work. A fellow graduate student had suggested I use an undocumented routine that (I later discovered) came from Numerical Recipes (NR). I was impressed enough with NR's presentation of ideas that I also bought the example book ISBN 0521437210 (which I've hardly cracked since) and a diskette of source code (which cost as much as the book but worth it). I was able to do a lot of basic research quickly with NR code, and I still occasionally use NR's routines.

The authors have certainly done a good job assimilating a lot of material. Since other reviewers have done well to highlight the importance and utility of this landmark book, there is no need to repeat those sentiments here. However, to this title's detriment, the authors consider their book to be a proprietary library of source code more valuable than the explanatory text discussing it (one can in fact download the text on-line though it's hardly worth the hassle). This perception is ironic since the authors confess that "the lineage of many programs in common circulation is often unclear" (p.xviii), and many details of presentation, ideas, and algorithms are clearly "borrowed" from other excellent (some now out-of-print) numerical methods books or journals.

I often wondered why NR routines occasionally adopted bizarre and/or obviously inefficient programming structures - over time I decided that this was probably done to make these algorithms appear as so not to clearly violate other published material. As a student, NR's legal disclaimers regarding derivative works (p.xvi) never bothered me and I was willing to overlook the sometimes unpolished source code insofar as it functioned properly. However, as a professional I now find the lack of fair-use provisions on the uncompiled source way too restrictive to rely on these routines in good conscience (I have to buy another textbook or license for every soft copy or machine upon which the source code resides!). I suspect this policy ultimately hurts NR's textbook sales: it would be nice to able to use and pass along the source code between professional colleagues without restriction because most would certainly buy (if they don't already own) the textbook to understand what the source does (just as I did). Source code used in scientific programming is practically worthless without proper documentation, and there's no better documentation than a full length textbook!

I have since expanded my numerical methods library to other references supporting true public-domain codes. With an expanded basis of comparison, I regret to say that I am becoming less and less impressed with NR's implementations and explanations. I am finding many of NR's algorithms to be inefficient or unnecessarily approximate, and - on rare occasion - buggy. There have been quite a few bugs uncovered over the years, and the NR web site has done a good job of keeping track of them (although I know of at least one bug uncorrected by NR to this day).

This book is excellent for students wanting a good reference for quick and dirty types of analyses or scientific computing. Professional programmers, scientists, engineers, specialists or analysts performing software development for laboratory or scientific research would be well advised to reference this title, but ultimately they will likely need to rely other resources if they require efficient and/or unrestricted (public-domain) source codes for their work.

(P.S. - A reviewer elsewhere noted that the "quality of the binding was terrible" and I've also found this to be the case. My hardcover is literally had to be taped on after a few years of use.)

A Useful Tool for Programmers, Researchers, and Students.......2002-07-05

This book contains hundreds of "canned codes" in the FORTRAN language. The book provides several variations of many popular numerical techniques and provides the most stream line (comp. time) codes available. Most codes allow for optimization to be build in, such as an RK4 (4th Order Runge-Kutta) with variable steps sizes. Great if you don't want to write your own code for a subroutine, or it you just don't know the method well enough to write it yourself. The book also provides some basic explaination of the techniques and codes with is very helpful so that the code is less of a black box, although its not that detailed.

There is also a CD available that has the codes already written and ready to go. I prefer to type it in on my own, or just make my own because it gives a better udnerstanding of what the code is doing. The biggest turn-off for me is that some codes have subroutines upon subroutines which can make things a mess.

All around a useful tool for programmers, researchers, and students.

Indispensible, a classic in the field.......2001-07-10

This volume, and its companions for other programming languages, is an absolute classic. The authors strike the right balance between cookbook solutions and theory, so that most of us get just enough background to choose the right algorithm but not so much to get drowned in theory. This edition is the first devoted only to Fortran, but is the second edition published by the authors. It includes a number of additions and corrections, many of which appeared in Computers in Physics (now the journal Computing in Science and Engineering published jointly by the IEEE and the APS). My only criticism is, where were these books twenty years ago when I needed them? I would recommend these books to anyone involved in the application of numerical methods. They are tremendous time savers.

I never bothered with the discs, as most of the routines are fairly short and not a problem to type in, but I recommend the companion example books to help get the routines running.

Routines an more routines.......2001-07-05

If you ever had to program a complicated numerical algorithm, such as SVD decomposition, Bessel functions, eigensystems or Fourier transform, you will know how useful this book is. All those problems, and many others, are presented, the theory is explained and the full code of a routine, which solves it, is given. This version brings the codes in FORTRAN 77, but there are versions for Pascal, C++ and Basic. If you need any routine, you just have to "cut and paste" it from the book into your program.

Facade Construction Manual (Construction Manuals)

Average customer rating:

facade manual

Facade Construction Manual (Construction Manuals)
Thomas Herzog , Roland Krippner , and Werner Lang
Manufacturer: Birkhäuser Basel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 3764371099

Book Description

Facades - they are the first feature of a building to be noticed, they determine its distinctive appearance and are often the subject of controversial debate. This new first edition of the Facade Construction Manual provides a systematic survey of contemporary expertise in the application of new materials and energy- efficient technologies in facade design, and represents an invaluable addition to our series of Construction Manuals. It surveys the facade design requirements made by various types of buildings, as well as the most important materials, from natural stone through to synthetics, and documents a diversity of construction forms for a wide range of building types. Over 100 international case-studies in large-scale, detailed drawings are presented in the comprehensive project section.

Customer Reviews:

facade manual.......2007-06-13

excellent reference manual as all the books from the DETAIL series,... very recommended

An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

oh wow very differant twist
an ice cold grave
The best of the 3 so far...
Harper Connelly
disappointing

An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3)
Charlaine Harris
Manufacturer: Berkley Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0425217299
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Book Description

Hired to find a boy gene missing in Doraville, North Carolina, Harper Connelly and her brother Tolliver head there-only to discover that the boy was only one of several who had disappeared over the previous five years. All of them teenagers. All unlikely runaways.

All calling for Harper.

Harper soon finds them-eight victims, buried in the half-frozen ground, all come to an unspeakable end. Afterwards, what she most wants to do is collect her fee and get out of town ahead of the media storm that's soon to descend. But when she's attacked and prevented from leaving, she reluctantly becomes a part of the investigation as she learns more than she cares to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of Doraville-knowledge that makes her the next person likely to rest in an ice-cold grave.

Customer Reviews:

oh wow very differant twist.......2007-10-10

This is the third installment in the Harper mystery series and it really keeps getting better. The only beef i had about it the language was stronger in this installment as were some of the described sex scenes, but other than that, it was excellant.
The book alludes to Harper finding her missing sister also in another book possably forthcoming.

an ice cold grave.......2007-10-06

I've been waiting for this installment of the Harper Connelly series for awhile, & I was not disappointed at all. As in the first installment, we see Harper & Tolliver visit a small town, which has become a staple of any Charlaine Harris book. The small town setting is one aspect of Harris' books that I always enjoy because she paints the characters very realistic without deriding them.

This time, the personal relationship between Harper & Tolliver outshines the murder mystery, & I was pleased with the path their relationship took. This series is truly unique, & I hope there are many more to come.

The best of the 3 so far..........2007-10-04

An Ice Cold Grave continues the trend of the well-written Harper Connolly series (Grave Sight and Grave Surprise). I read this in one sitting and agree with the other reviewers that this book is the best of the three so far. Not only does Ms Harris describe the wintry climate in such a way as to make you actually feel you're right there in the freezing temperatures with Harper and Tolliver and the rest of the inhabitants of Doraville, NC, but you can feel the tension among them as well.

An Ice Cold Grave is definitely darker than the first 2 books in the sense that there are more violence, more bodies, and more graphic descriptions of what happened to the victims. After all, Harper's talent is to find dead bodies, by nature a dark skill, regardless of whether the deaths are natural or not. On the other hand, Harper and Tolliver's personal and business relationship grows apace, and they each come to terms with what it is they want. {My hope is that this series doesn't follow Ms Harris's other two (ie, The Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series, Lily Bard/Shakespeare series), as well as a number of other paranomal/urban fantasy series, in that the "heroine" loves and then leaves or is left by the "hero(s)." There seems to be a trend of such women finding and losing one's lover (sometimes many lovers throughout a series) recently. I can think of 6 series offhand that have done this.}

Another nice thing about An Ice Cold Grave is that, for once, Harper and Tolliver aren't treated with suspicion by every person they meet. Sure, there's skepticism, but at least most of those they come in contact with aren't outright hostile, leading to a wearying tango and tangle with such individuals.

We also meet Xylda and Manfred Berdardo again, and both are colorful as always, but they're also sympathetic and poignant characters here. I can't wait to see what becomes of Bernardo and his psychic skills. Will he be a small talent, as he seems to believe, or as great as or better than his grandmother? And how will his path cross that of Harper and Tolliver in future?

I strongly recommend An Ice Cold Grave -- which can be read as a standalone but would enhance a reader's experience if read in sequence. The book consists of a taut story line, mystery, love, grief, betrayal, and pathos, but in the end, there's hope and compassion.

Harper Connelly.......2007-10-02

I love this series. In fact, there are times when I love this series more than the Sookie Stackhouse books also written by Charlaine Harris. This is just creepy enough to be interesting and human enough to drag you into the lives of Harper and her not so brotherly companion, Tolliver.
This book is especially good as it shows the progression of their relationship and a more horrific job than anything Harper has done before. It really shows how strong Harper is and how useful her skill is. They're real people with not so pretty lives who plug on just like the rest of us.
Charlaine Harris is an amazing writer. She is a writer whose words you don't find yourself skimming as one does with books that aren't as well written. She is probably one of my favorite authors because of this. I'd probably enjoy reading ad copy if she was the one writing it!

disappointing.......2007-10-02

Although I loved the first two Harper Connelly books, this one disappointed me. I liked the first two because they weren't too graphic, but still told a good story. The details of the murders in this one were too disgusting. I think that anyone who reads the word "torture" can get the idea of what happened without all the gruesome details. It seems Ms. Harris thinks she has to shock to tell a story (like in the Sookie Stackhouse books) but she is an excellent storyteller and should rely more on that.

Average customer rating:

A great reference book, not good to learn from
The way to learn algebra
This book grows on you.
a useful advanced graduate refernce on algebra
Almost perfect!

Algebra
Serge Lang
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 038795385X

Book Description

"Lang's Algebra changed the way graduate algebra is taught, retaining classical topics but introducing language and ways of thinking from category theory and homological algebra. It has affected all subsequent graduate-level algebra books." NOTICES OF THE AMS

"The author has an impressive knack for presenting the important and interesting ideas of algebra in just the right way, and he never gets bogged down in the dry formalism which pervades some parts of algebra." MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS

This book is intended as a basic text for a one-year course in algebra at the graduate level, or as a useful reference for mathematicians and professionals who use higher-level algebra. It successfully addresses the basic concepts of algebra. For the revised third edition, the author has added exercises and made numerous corrections to the text.

Customer Reviews:

A great reference book, not good to learn from.......2007-05-14

As most of the books written by Prof. Lang, this book is a great compilation, it has what it needs to have, nothing more, nothing less. If you are in Math or any related field, and need a book to refresh your knowledge on Abstract Algebra, this is your book. though, I took a course in Grad School from this book, and I don't recomend it. Fortunatelly I still had the books from my undegrad courses (Rotman's Group Theory book is great), and I did remember the old courses anyway, but I really discourage the usage of this book as a lecture book.

The way to learn algebra.......2006-07-19

Most critisism of the book are based in the fact that topic are not treated in deep, and the reason is that there is no need to do that. Lang's porpouse is to introduce the reader to HIGHER ALGEBRA, while for example Dummit & Foote just end in Category Theory or Homological Algebra. He just introduce what he consider necessary to know about groups. Of course, if your porpouse is to learn, let's say Group Cohomology, then its good for you to know as much as possible about groups, modules and stuff, but Lang's try to focus on what HE consider is important to be known.
One has to have in mind that its easy to present the basic form of Cohomology or modules as Dummit does, but its has no continuity in the sense that will follow you to nothing, just to know some basic concepts. That's why i disagree with the people that say that is like an encyclopedia. Lang's development in Algebra is AMAZING. Ok, one can argue that it can be stated more ''friendly'' such as Galois Theory by Artin book does. But for Galois theory that's easy while in General Algebra is doesn't. Just take a look at Galois Theory section [which is, as every book, based on Artin works], there is nothing that is understandable in it, and its not an extensive work, because Lang will not USE in his HIGHER ALGEBRA.
The whole thing can be explained if you notice the Algebraic Number Theory book of Lang... you can consider Algebra as a preparation for his real book.
My education in math [academically] is minimal, but i always recommend this book, because when i get a subject i go directly to Lang and everything seems clear. Also, notation is really CLEAR and, comparing with authors like Jacobson, he doesn't mess with [unless necessary] formalizations.
So, my advice:
If you want to LEARN algebra, and work in algebra, READ LANG, READ LANG, READ LANG.
If you want to get some knowledge about algebra, and take a course, this is not your book.

This book grows on you........2006-05-03

When I examined this book as an undergraduate I did not like it; often this is a sign that a book is poorly written, but in this case I just needed more background. Now I see this text as a gold-mine: clearly written, provocative, and rich in examples.

I find it refreshing that Lang does not get caught up in tedious proofs (one of my criticisms of Isaacs, another of my favourite algebra texts); anything that is tedious but not difficult, Lang leaves to the reader. Yet the book is not overly concise--a lot of ideas are explained in depth.

This book serves as an excellent reference for several reasons. First of all, it's unlike any other algebra book. The choice of topics is unusual; it will certainly expose you to some things you haven't seen before, but at the same time, it is not a comprehensive slice of modern algebra (it doesn't even mention lattices). However, the best aspect of it are the presence of examples, something sorely lacking from most other abstract algebra texts. Whenever a new concept is introduced, Lang presents a variety of examples from material elsewhere in the book as well as other fields of mathematics. These examples alone make this book precious. Although the biggest exercise is just reading and understanding the book, the exercises at the end of each chapter open up a whole other world; they are quirky and creative like the rest of the text.

I recommend this book for any serious mathematician to add to their collection. However, it would be waste of time to read it until you already know a great deal of mathematics. This is one of those books that becomes a must-read once have already read 25 or so other serious math books.

a useful advanced graduate refernce on algebra.......2006-04-05

As others have said, this is not a book to begin learning algebra, but is a necessary book for most students to have on their shelves. Why is that? Basic topics are discussed from scratch in this book from the most advanced possible viewpoint. Hence few can learn them here for the first time, but no one can graduate to professional status without eventually arriving at this perspective.

In particular the categorical point of view is simply essential to a research mathematician to acquire at some point, and Lang uses it here from the beginning, while Dummitt and Foote place it in appendix II, after page 800. So Lang's goal seems not to introduce basic algebra, but to provide essential algebraic facts not found elsewhere, and to give them all from a professional's perspective.

This is probably a third book on algebra in today's world, and that is assuming the student is pretty good. The only current book I know of out there that is really aimed at students and also written by a top professional is Artin. If you can, begin with Artin, then read Dummitt and Foote for topics Artin omits, then read Lang to see how you should view the same material and find things Dummitt and Foote left out.

Then you are ready to do research with these tools. For instance one of our research professors tells his students the prerecquisite for working in algebraic number theory is to become comfortable with algebra at the level of Lang. But our course in PhD prelim preparation for algebra will probably use Dummitt and Foote, just because it is a more feasible book for the students to read at that stage. Attempts to use Lang in trhe past have been disastrous.

Nonetheless, even students who found Lang a frustrating text, still use it as a necessary reference, and even find it has too little.

Just compare the treatment of groups in Lang and Dummitt and Foote. Lang covers the whole subject in more depth in 60 pages (2nd edition) while D/F use up over 220 pages on groups, and still do not introduce the categorical point of view, and in particular do not prove the existence of "direct sums" i.e. coproducts (which they do not even define), of groups.

So if you only have Lang, you will almost surely not see enough detail to understand the material, and if you only have D/F you will not see it from quite the right perspective, and will still not know some basic results.

Lang's book has numerous frustrating traits, misprints, errors, many uses of the word "obvious" for arguments that need a great deal of filling in, careless slipups ad nauseam, dyslexic things like saying clearly when to use product as opposed to coproduct, then getting it precisely backwards himself. or a whole discussion of Galois groups as permutations of roots of polynomials while forgetting to assume the polynomial is separable.

Your margins in Lang will be full of corrections, comments and added details, but now and then he will make something so clear in a word or two, that it will forever seem easy to you. In sum it is a locally flawed and carelessly written book, but globally impressive, and one for which there is no adequate substitute to my knowledge. Not least, Addison Wesley has always done a good job of making the type look beautiful on the page. The integrity of some recent bindings of course is another story.

Almost perfect!.......2006-01-18

I have owned this book for many years now and I find that even after I have learned a topic in Lang or elsewhere, I still find that yet another careful reading of Lang will rearrange my thinking. I hear and read a lot of people complaining about this book, and I think most criticisms come from not having enough patience or energy to climb the book. (Yes, reading this is more like climbing!) There are few better things that you can do for yourself than hanging out with Lang.
The book does deserve some criticisms. His chapter on groups is just too small and insubstantial. Go elsewhere for that, like Rotman. The real purpose of that chapter is to introduce Category Theory, and it takes the wrong tack a few times there, I feel. So learn category theory somewhere else too. And all algebra books fail to explain what the algebra is good for. This one is no different. It is a shame because too many people think that Algebra is mostly for algebraists. But the truth is you can't do anything great without algebra.
The chapters on Homology theory are good in places, and the places where they are not so good, try the book by Weibel.
So, yeah, he is often a bit terse and leaves steps out. That's just an invitation to think things over. And it keeps the text clean. He is respecting you, honoring you, inviting you to the real party. He's not cheating you. He's giving you the real goo! You want the real goo, don't you?

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