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Books reviews

Why Things Break: Understanding the World by the Way It Comes Apart by Mark E. Eberhart

I have bought this book because I am interested in how things work. I thought that this book would be something about how we can observe the remaining parts of a broken machinery or something else or something along the lines of that. However, this book is about the atomic structure if materials. The book is non--technical, relatively short and small, and consists of two parts. The parts are not specifically labeled as such, but they are immediately felt when reading. The first part is discussion about the different information that can be gathered from materials science. This part will be an easy and a very informative read for anyone who is interested in learning. Numerous well--written stories and explanations are included. The second part is more about the history of the study of materials up to the present. This part, while presenting the state of things, is probably of less interest to those who are interested in getting applicable information. However, mostly due to the small size of the book, it never gets boring in any of the discussions. Overall, the book should be read by any student of chemistry and mechanics, including anyone else who is interested in knowing how the structure of a material makes it brittle, malleable, etc, and any other properties that may make the material a very technologically important one.

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PRACTICAL RADIO FREQUENCY HANDBOOK 2ed by Ian Hickman

We all know these books. They call themselves introductions, handbooks, manuals, practical, etc. This book is none of the above. This book, as many others, has no meaning and is a complete waste of time. So what do we call it?
We call it an overview. That is, this book will try to explain and talk about everything and anything there is about RF electronics. However, because it is not a 10,000 page book, the information is too shallow for you to gain anything. It will not teach you how and why to connect two things together for a simplest circuit. Even more than that, books of this type are damaging to your wallet, your time, and the sense that you understand something.
Why am I so critical of this book? Because this book seems to have invaded every list of books for electronics, hobbyists, etc. I suggest that you look for books that explain few concepts, but explain them so well that you will gain by it. If you have a little more time and money, buy a college text book from a college textbook publisher. At least it will TEACH you a few useful concepts.

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Mechanical Devices for the Electronics Experimenter by C. Britton Rorabaugh

This is the weirdest books I have ever read. The book is completely useless. It is the negative of everything in the review above.
The book includes formulas and discussions on every component that the author has thought about, but for no apparent reason. The equations will never help for a bought component. Nowhere are the discussions of real parts, and there is no real information on how to make one. The best you can imagine this book is two pages for every component you can find in a mechanical system with equations that the author found in a reference book. All of this is useless after you take a look at www.kelvin.com. Do not buy this book.

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