Best mechanical engineering books according to redditors

We found 275 Reddit comments discussing the best mechanical engineering books. We ranked the 128 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Subcategories:

Drafting & mechanical drawing books
Hydraulics books
Machinery engineering books
Welding books
Tribology mechanical engineering books

Top Reddit comments about Mechanical Engineering:

u/theholyraptor · 112 pointsr/AskEngineers

Other comments here are spot on.

The simplistic version that underlies all of them is humans are smart so they can identify a problem and approach the desired solution iteratively. This creates a feedback loop.

Before "modern" (the mid to late 1800's onwards) machine tools, you had people making a lot of things custom every time using files to get parts to mate together. There are some exceptions to this with specific measurement and manufacturing tools that were conceived and used but they weren't in wide spread use before the Industrial Revolution and they didn't look as similar to today's machines as everything after. We humans are really good at tweaking stuff slightly until it is far beyond the precision of the individual pieces itself.

Similarly, if I took any old lathe or mill, measured my part to be 0.100" and needed it to be 0.050", I could dial a cut in at 0.05" and take it but depending on the quality and rigidity of the machine, workholding, bearing surfaces and tooling, I would be hard pressed to hit that 0.050" dead on. However, I could take as many passes I wanted while remeasuring until I'm happy with the result. Cut 0.020" off, measure again, I should have 0.030" left but I actually have 0.027" left. Cut again this time at 0.010" and I should have 0.017" left but I have 0.015" left etc.

As others mentioned, the 3 plate method allows you to generate with time and effort, a very precisely flat surface. I could generate that surface, use it as my surface referenced plate and then hand scrape a piece to match it's flatness and squareness to the best of my willingness to work on it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_scraper if you're unfamiliar. The craftsman inks (blues) up a reference surface, imprints the work piece by rubbing it on that surface. Only the points in contact touch. Using a scraper and some training, you can remove .0002" with a scraper cut. Remove all of the high spots that are blue bringing the high spots closer to the average. Remark and do it again iteratively. Each time you bring your work surface closer to your reference.

The same thing was done with precision lead screws. Hand made screws were cut with primitive methods and put in early lathe like machines to cut more screws. These machines had error compensation methods built in that averaged the thread cutting across the original screw (or sometimes multiple screws) resulting in a screw that was more precise than what you started with.

For calibrating a reference surface for flatness, you can use levels or autocollimators for overall variations. The precision of your level can be increased by increasing the longitudinal radius of your glass bubble dial.

An excerpt from another post I made in /r/cnc:
Some source material to consider:
LINK A great site with collections of documents covering major works in the development of precision tools.

Precision Machine Design - Slocum more of a textbook on precision machine design but has tons of footnotes and talks about some of the developmental history.)

Inventing Accuracy: A Historical Sociology of Nuclear Missile Guidance talks about some of the accuracy needed in Oakridge etc to help make the atomic bomb and precision guided missiles before GPS existed even for the military. A number of military interests drove ultra precision development such as this and the large optical diamond turning maching (LODTM)

Rolling Bearings and their contribution to the progress of technology covers the history of bearings that allowed precision machinery.

Machine Tool Reconditioning is an older book and highly technical but is considered the bible for old machine tool rebuilding and goes into the processes of how one would make precision flat surfaces and check all of the geometry on their machines and fix them in a time before lasers and fancy computer controlled equipment.

Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy and the followup book Holes, Contours and Surfaces was written by Moore and his son (I believe, respectively), the first especially is considered a bible on the theory of obtaining super precision tolerances. The authors are part of Moore Tool Company which made amongst other machines Moore Jig Borers.

Mitutoyo has a pdf on the history of gauge blocks

You can further go down that rabbit hole and look at metrology books as one can achieve great tolerances by iteratively approaching a desired value and having proper metrology equipment to check your work as you go. For example, metrology standards

You can also look at old professional telescope building books and newer diy telescope making books as there's a lot of interesting information and techniques to obtain precision optics on the order of wavelengths of light.

As someone else here mentioned: How Round Is Your Circle

I can probably dig up a lot more. I've spent way to much money purchasing old out of print books related to precision machinery, machining and metrology.

From the iterative process of making basic tools, you can then use those tools to make even better tools through iteration. In many ways, it's similar to Moore's law in the electronics world; a exponential curve where we stand on the shoulder of giants and improve upon what already exists. Many have proposed technology as a whole as just that such as Ray Kurzweil in "The Singularity is Near" etc.

Edit: Thanks for the gold!

u/dragoneye · 23 pointsr/engineering

There isn't going to be any one book that can cover everything effectively for mechanical engineering, mostly because of how broad it is. For real world application, I would suggest checking out Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design.

edit: Mark's Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers is also one that I have heard recommended.

u/personizzle · 22 pointsr/MechanicalEngineering

507 Mechanical Movements: Avaliable in print or online

thang010146 on youtube

Cornell's kmoddl library (temporarily down, it looks like)

For linkages, the Hrones and Nelson Atlas

u/gray_flow · 18 pointsr/AskEngineers
u/ramk13 · 13 pointsr/askscience

Here's a really great book that covers this exact topic. Disclaimer: I haven't read it myself, but its on my reading list. It covers some of the history of how precision instruments were first made and the math and engineering behind.

How Round Is Your Circle?: Where Engineering and Mathematics Meet

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0691149925

>How do you draw a straight line? How do you determine if a circle is really round? These may sound like simple or even trivial mathematical problems, but to an engineer the answers can mean the difference between success and failure. How Round Is Your Circle? invites readers to explore many of the same fundamental questions that working engineers deal with every day--it's challenging, hands-on, and fun.

>John Bryant and Chris Sangwin illustrate how physical models are created from abstract mathematical ones. Using elementary geometry and trigonometry, they guide readers through paper-and-pencil reconstructions of mathematical problems and show them how to construct actual physical models themselves--directions included. It's an effective and entertaining way to explain how applied mathematics and engineering work together to solve problems, everything from keeping a piston aligned in its cylinder to ensuring that automotive driveshafts rotate smoothly. Intriguingly, checking the roundness of a manufactured object is trickier than one might think. When does the width of a saw blade affect an engineer's calculations--or, for that matter, the width of a physical line? When does a measurement need to be exact and when will an approximation suffice? Bryant and Sangwin tackle questions like these and enliven their discussions with many fascinating highlights from engineering history. Generously illustrated, How Round Is Your Circle? reveals some of the hidden complexities in everyday things.

u/skucera · 13 pointsr/engineering

I took the Mechanical Systems and Materials this past fall and passed on the first try.

Um, that was the hardest test I have ever taken in my life. In grad school I had tests that I left the room completely dejected because I could barely even set up the problem. This was worse. I left and was like, "I can't even be mad if I fail!" It was impossible.

Get the MERM; that got me through 75% of the problems. The rest were out of an undergrad thermo 1 book, a fluids 1 book, and a Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design that is 3 versions old. Do the practice exam, and get to the point where you know how to answer every question (like, with tabs in your reference books). Get a practice problem book; do the problems.

u/linehan23 · 10 pointsr/aerospace

/u/another_user_name posted this list a while back. Actual aerospace textbooks are towards the bottom but you'll need a working knowledge of the prereqs first.

Non-core/Pre-reqs:


Mathematics:


Calculus.


1-4) Calculus, Stewart -- This is a very common book and I felt it was ok, but there's mixed opinions about it. Try to get a cheap, used copy.

1-4) Calculus, A New Horizon, Anton -- This is highly valued by many people, but I haven't read it.

1-4) Essential Calculus With Applications, Silverman -- Dover book.

More discussion in this reddit thread.

Linear Algebra


3) Linear Algebra and Its Applications,Lay -- I had this one in school. I think it was decent.

3) Linear Algebra, Shilov -- Dover book.

Differential Equations


4) An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations, Coddington -- Dover book, highly reviewed on Amazon.

G) Partial Differential Equations, Evans

G) Partial Differential Equations For Scientists and Engineers, Farlow

More discussion here.

Numerical Analysis


5) Numerical Analysis, Burden and Faires


Chemistry:


  1. General Chemistry, Pauling is a good, low cost choice. I'm not sure what we used in school.

    Physics:


    2-4) Physics, Cutnel -- This was highly recommended, but I've not read it.

    Programming:


    Introductory Programming


    Programming is becoming unavoidable as an engineering skill. I think Python is a strong introductory language that's got a lot of uses in industry.

  2. Learning Python, Lutz

  3. Learn Python the Hard Way, Shaw -- Gaining popularity, also free online.

    Core Curriculum:


    Introduction:


  4. Introduction to Flight, Anderson

    Aerodynamics:


  5. Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Fox, Pritchard McDonald

  6. Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, Anderson

  7. Theory of Wing Sections, Abbot and von Doenhoff -- Dover book, but very good for what it is.

  8. Aerodynamics for Engineers, Bertin and Cummings -- Didn't use this as the text (used Anderson instead) but it's got more on stuff like Vortex Lattice Methods.

  9. Modern Compressible Flow: With Historical Perspective, Anderson

  10. Computational Fluid Dynamics, Anderson

    Thermodynamics, Heat transfer and Propulsion:


  11. Introduction to Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, Cengel

  12. Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion, Hill and Peterson

    Flight Mechanics, Stability and Control


    5+) Flight Stability and Automatic Control, Nelson

    5+)[Performance, Stability, Dynamics, and Control of Airplanes, Second Edition](http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Stability-Dynamics-Airplanes-Education/dp/1563475839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315534435&sr=8-1, Pamadi) -- I gather this is better than Nelson

  13. Airplane Aerodynamics and Performance, Roskam and Lan

    Engineering Mechanics and Structures:


    3-4) Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics, Hibbeler

  14. Mechanics of Materials, Hibbeler

  15. Mechanical Vibrations, Rao

  16. Practical Stress Analysis for Design Engineers: Design & Analysis of Aerospace Vehicle Structures, Flabel

    6-8) Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, Bruhn -- A good reference, never really used it as a text.

  17. An Introduction to the Finite Element Method, Reddy

    G) Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium, Malvern

    G) Fracture Mechanics, Anderson

    G) Mechanics of Composite Materials, Jones

    Electrical Engineering


  18. Electrical Engineering Principles and Applications, Hambley

    Design and Optimization


  19. Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design, Nicolai and Carinchner

  20. Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, Raymer

  21. Engineering Optimization: Theory and Practice, Rao

    Space Systems


  22. Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications, Vallado

  23. Introduction to Space Dynamics, Thomson -- Dover book

  24. Orbital Mechanics, Prussing and Conway

  25. Fundamentals of Astrodynamics, Bate, Mueller and White

  26. Space Mission Analysis and Design, Wertz and Larson
u/sclv · 10 pointsr/programming

Thanks for the link. That's an excellent article!

Edit: re this hype around interval arithmetic see Kahan's "How Futile are Mindless Assessments of Roundoff in Floating-Point Computation?": http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~wkahan/Mindless.pdf

There he notes the following:
> Interval Arithmetic approximates every variable by an interval whose ends straddle the variable’s true value. Used naively, this scheme is cursed by excessively wide intervals that undermine its credibility when wide intervals are deserved. Swollen intervals can often be curbed by combining Interval Arithmetic with ordinarily rounded arithmetic in a computation artfully recast as the determination of the fixed-point of a sufficiently contractive mapping. “Artful” is far from “Mindless”. Far less art may coax success from extendable-precision Interval Arithmetic, though its price may be high and its performance slow.

Kahan is of course a father of IEEE, and an author of some seminal work on interval arithmetic.

Mildly related, though somewhat out of date, I can't recommend Hamming's Numerical Methods book enough (http://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Methods-Scientists-Engineers-Richard/dp/0486652416). Its really great for the thousand mile view of what numerical methods are all about.

u/djimbob · 8 pointsr/dataisbeautiful

Be very careful with Numerical Recipes. The C/C++ code is written in the style of FORTRAN77 by someone with no clue about basic software engineering principles. The code is also prohibitively licensed to the point where it can't be used in any work. You can never share your code that uses any NR code with anyone or let them run it (regardless of your choice of license), unless you share it with someone on the same IP block as you and that is only if you spend thousands of dollars in licensing costs a year).

You are much better starting with a good algorithms book (e.g., CLRS or DPV) for basics, maybe a classic text like Hamming's 1987 book and using modern libraries (e.g., GSL, LAPACK), wikipedia, and if necessary delve deeper into books on the specific subtopic you want to learn about.

u/positron98 · 8 pointsr/Physics

This is my favorite. Although used in my undergrad course, it's highly theoretical Fluid Mechanics: Landau & Lifshitz

u/raoulduke25 · 8 pointsr/engineering

Here you go:

u/dargscisyhp · 7 pointsr/AskScienceDiscussion

I'd like to give you my two cents as well on how to proceed here. If nothing else, this will be a second opinion. If I could redo my physics education, this is how I'd want it done.

If you are truly wanting to learn these fields in depth I cannot stress how important it is to actually work problems out of these books, not just read them. There is a certain understanding that comes from struggling with problems that you just can't get by reading the material. On that note, I would recommend getting the Schaum's outline to whatever subject you are studying if you can find one. They are great books with hundreds of solved problems and sample problems for you to try with the answers in the back. When you get to the point you can't find Schaums anymore, I would recommend getting as many solutions manuals as possible. The problems will get very tough, and it's nice to verify that you did the problem correctly or are on the right track, or even just look over solutions to problems you decide not to try.

Basics

I second Stewart's Calculus cover to cover (except the final chapter on differential equations) and Halliday, Resnick and Walker's Fundamentals of Physics. Not all sections from HRW are necessary, but be sure you have the fundamentals of mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, and thermal physics down at the level of HRW.

Once you're done with this move on to studying differential equations. Many physics theorems are stated in terms of differential equations so really getting the hang of these is key to moving on. Differential equations are often taught as two separate classes, one covering ordinary differential equations and one covering partial differential equations. In my opinion, a good introductory textbook to ODEs is one by Morris Tenenbaum and Harry Pollard. That said, there is another book by V. I. Arnold that I would recommend you get as well. The Arnold book may be a bit more mathematical than you are looking for, but it was written as an introductory text to ODEs and you will have a deeper understanding of ODEs after reading it than your typical introductory textbook. This deeper understanding will be useful if you delve into the nitty-gritty parts of classical mechanics. For partial differential equations I recommend the book by Haberman. It will give you a good understanding of different methods you can use to solve PDEs, and is very much geared towards problem-solving.

From there, I would get a decent book on Linear Algebra. I used the one by Leon. I can't guarantee that it's the best book out there, but I think it will get the job done.

This should cover most of the mathematical training you need to move onto the intermediate level physics textbooks. There will be some things that are missing, but those are usually covered explicitly in the intermediate texts that use them (i.e. the Delta function). Still, if you're looking for a good mathematical reference, my recommendation is Lua. It may be a good idea to go over some basic complex analysis from this book, though it is not necessary to move on.

Intermediate

At this stage you need to do intermediate level classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and thermal physics at the very least. For electromagnetism, Griffiths hands down. In my opinion, the best pedagogical book for intermediate classical mechanics is Fowles and Cassidy. Once you've read these two books you will have a much deeper understanding of the stuff you learned in HRW. When you're going through the mechanics book pay particular attention to generalized coordinates and Lagrangians. Those become pretty central later on. There is also a very old book by Robert Becker that I think is great. It's problems are tough, and it goes into concepts that aren't typically covered much in depth in other intermediate mechanics books such as statics. I don't think you'll find a torrent for this, but it is 5 bucks on Amazon. That said, I don't think Becker is necessary. For quantum, I cannot recommend Zettili highly enough. Get this book. Tons of worked out examples. In my opinion, Zettili is the best quantum book out there at this level. Finally for thermal physics I would use Mandl. This book is merely sufficient, but I don't know of a book that I liked better.

This is the bare minimum. However, if you find a particular subject interesting, delve into it at this point. If you want to learn Solid State physics there's Kittel. Want to do more Optics? How about Hecht. General relativity? Even that should be accessible with Schutz. Play around here before moving on. A lot of very fascinating things should be accessible to you, at least to a degree, at this point.

Advanced

Before moving on to physics, it is once again time to take up the mathematics. Pick up Arfken and Weber. It covers a great many topics. However, at times it is not the best pedagogical book so you may need some supplemental material on whatever it is you are studying. I would at least read the sections on coordinate transformations, vector analysis, tensors, complex analysis, Green's functions, and the various special functions. Some of this may be a bit of a review, but there are some things Arfken and Weber go into that I didn't see during my undergraduate education even with the topics that I was reviewing. Hell, it may be a good idea to go through the differential equations material in there as well. Again, you may need some supplemental material while doing this. For special functions, a great little book to go along with this is Lebedev.

Beyond this, I think every physicist at the bare minimum needs to take graduate level quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and statistical mechanics. For quantum, I recommend Cohen-Tannoudji. This is a great book. It's easy to understand, has many supplemental sections to help further your understanding, is pretty comprehensive, and has more worked examples than a vast majority of graduate text-books. That said, the problems in this book are LONG. Not horrendously hard, mind you, but they do take a long time.

Unfortunately, Cohen-Tannoudji is the only great graduate-level text I can think of. The textbooks in other subjects just don't measure up in my opinion. When you take Classical mechanics I would get Goldstein as a reference but a better book in my opinion is Jose/Saletan as it takes a geometrical approach to the subject from the very beginning. At some point I also think it's worth going through Arnold's treatise on Classical. It's very mathematical and very difficult, but I think once you make it through you will have as deep an understanding as you could hope for in the subject.

u/billy_joule · 7 pointsr/AskEngineers

Yes.

With a very large damping ratio

Practically, this means making a shock absorber (AKA a dashpot) with a very high viscosity fluid and a very small orifice.

There are other higher tech options too

The theory of mass spring dampers will be covered in any textbook on vibration.

Rao and
Thomson are probably the most popular. cheaper copies can be found on abebooks.com or other similar used bookstores.

u/yourmom46 · 7 pointsr/AskEngineers

You probably need to be studying a couple of hours per night from here on out. Do like everyone else does, buy the expensive MERM book (it's expensive) and go through chapter by chapter reading everything and doing sample problems. Then do the practice problems in the separate MERM practice problem book. Go through every chapter for your descipline, the common chapters, and most of the other discipline's chapters. After you've done all this buy the MERM practice test and do it. Go to a library on a Sunday or a conference room at your work on a weekend and treat it like the real deal. Somewhere you won't be interrupted and there will be absolutely no distractions. Time it and everything. After you're finished the MERM practice test you'll be freaking out because it took way too long and was difficult. Then go on the NCEES website and buy their practice test. Take it the same way and you'll feel a lot better. Then go pass the test.

As far as picking the discipline, it's better just to pick one you think you're more comfortable with and going for it. Then focus on it.

u/2_4_16_256 · 7 pointsr/AskEngineers

You can find formulas for gear force/strength in Shigley's. You kind of need to know the material properties to find out the max torque but you can just use a general steel.

150NM (110ft*lbs) isn't a massive amount, so if you keep the RPM down low so friction isn't a major concern I wouldn't assume there would be an issue.

u/blue_water_rip · 7 pointsr/engineering

Hydraulics and Pneumatics for Techs and Engineers Written by a controls guy.

Industrial Hydraulics Manual 5. The Eaton bible: a must have.

u/FullFrontalNoodly · 6 pointsr/rocketry
u/SpiderOnTheInterwebs · 6 pointsr/rocketry

If you want to build your own rocket, buy a commercial solid motor to fly in it. Don't try to dive in head first to building liquid engines. There are hobbyists out there building liquid engines, but they've had years and years of experience prior to that.

I would recommend this for any beginner:

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-High-Power-Rocketry-Mark-Canepa/dp/1412058104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398218024&sr=8-1&keywords=high+power+rocketry+2

u/mechtonia · 6 pointsr/AskEngineers

"If engineering were easy, they would have sent a boy with a note."

Seriously there aren't any shortcuts. Either you learn the fundamentals or you don't. But if you want a really good general reference book, get The Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual


Other useful references:

u/zarqghoti · 5 pointsr/rocketry

Sounds like you might want to pick this book up...

Yes, the bulkheads will prevent the nosecone from separating, so whatever the first bulkhead is attached to better be able to separate from the part holding the motor or you are going to have a mess on your hands... and it sounds like you might need to re-do how your recovery works as well.

What kind of rocket is it?

u/BanskiAchtar · 5 pointsr/math

For an elementary account, there is a book by Weintraub called Differential Forms, which is very accessible. It is explicitly written as a "complement to vector calculus".

For a more advanced treatment take a look at Arnold's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics. There is a standalone chapter on differential forms which is extremely well-written and well-motivated (as is the rest of the book, for that matter).

u/Gabost8 · 5 pointsr/engineering

A book that gets mentioned a lot is Shigley's. It covers the basics of design for a wide variety of mechanical components including gears, shafts, bearings, etc. It also covers stuff like material stress, fatigue, and failure theory. I don't know what you're printing or what is it for, but this should help for anything that's not too complicated.

u/1namu · 5 pointsr/FluidMechanics

Fluid Mechanics 4th Edition by Kundu (A good graduate level text. The practice problems are really great and challenging. The 5th edition has better practice problems, but the layout and content of the 4th is better IMO.)

Elementary Fluid Dynamics by Achenson (Good graduate level text with mathematical rigor.)

Fluid Mechanics by Granger (A good undergraduate level text.)

An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics by Batchelor (This one is much more advanced than the rest.)

u/Sonarman · 5 pointsr/math

I haven't read it myself, but I've heard good thing about V. I. Arnol'd's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics. I don't know how far he goes in generalizing from R^n to arbitrary configuration spaces, but since he does use the language of differential geometry in his treatment, the book might be what you're looking for.

u/socalchris · 4 pointsr/rocketry

It's not an ebook, but Apogee Components has an incredible amount of information on their site that is extremely helpful. Not to mention that they are great to purchase from, I've placed several orders with them and have had nothing but very positive experiences with them. They get customer service, and know how to keep customers coming back for more from them.

https://www.apogeerockets.com/New_to_Model_Rocketry

As far as books, Modern High-Power Rocketry 2 by Mark Canepa has a lot of really good information, although it isn't available in an e-book format as far as I know.

https://www.amazon.com/Modern-High-Power-Rocketry-Mark-Canepa/dp/1412058104/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1468194798&sr=1-1&keywords=modern+high+powered+rocketry+2

u/ex-oh · 4 pointsr/MTB
  1. Hopefully you're wanting to build one for the experience, not because you're expecting to ride it. I know several people who have built a bike at a class or (for those with existing fabrication know how) on their own, that they can ride.. but most of the serious frame builders will tell you that the first 5-10 are throwaways.

  2. Based on the question you asked, I would recommend looking around for a framebuilding class. ( good list here - https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f2/framebuilding-classes-masses-12397.html EDIT - some links in there are dead. most of those schools are still active though. you'll have to google them. Doug Fattic seems to have the best rep amongst folks I know) They are expensive. But ultimately cheaper than you buying the wrong stuff / wasting your time trial-and-erroring. The big upside is that the teachers usually fix the stuff you screw up, so you do in fact get a usable bike on the first go.

  3. if you don't want to listen to me about #1 and #2, I recommend this book - https://www.amazon.com/Lugged-Bicycle-Frame-Construction-Third/dp/1492232645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493605725&sr=8-1&keywords=frame+building Yeah, it's about road bikes, and lug brazing as opposed to welding, BUT it's really targeted at the shade-tree bike builder. Instructions on building some homebrew fixtures and doing everything using non-specialty equipment. You could easily apply a lot of the information here to a tig process.


    Good luck! Post pictures here when you get something build up.
u/frothysasquatch · 4 pointsr/embedded

It depends on what the company does. Math does come up in embedded (e.g. control theory, modeling, DSP, etc.) but usually it's not super theoretical, and you can look up what you need when you need it. It's rare that you would have to derive something from scratch generally (and even then you can work up to it).

If you're doing a lot of computational stuff, some reading on numerical methods might be more helpful (something like this) - even if you have computers to do the heavy lifting for you, being aware of the basics can be helpful in avoiding common issues with precision, numerical stability, etc.

u/ncu2 · 3 pointsr/Machinists

Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design (McGraw-Hill Series in Mechanical Engineering) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0073398209/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_j2lvDb8VCN7D4

I believe this is what you need

u/0_0_7 · 3 pointsr/bicycling

I think most people who have any success in building high end, custom boutique frames have been building frames for fun for a loooong time on their own time/dime, do it because they are super passionate about it and eventually move up to making frames for money using word of mouth and connections from being part of their cycling community... Or they have a shitload of start up money, go to something like UBI and have savy/trendy marketing. Frame building seems to be one of the most insular aspects or a generally insular culture. It's not uncommon to come across classified/ebays from guys who tried to make a go of it, and then put thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars of specialty tools up for sale.

http://www.amazon.com/Lugged-Bicycle-Frame-Construction-Edition/dp/1492232645/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395105654&sr=8-2&keywords=bicycle+frame+build this is a great book and very easy to read- you can build a frame for about 400-500 bucks using his method. The tools involved are not super specialized, the most expensive thing would be a rotary tool iirc. You use free a computer program to print out the miters.

u/HopDavid · 3 pointsr/space

A book I like a lot is Orbital Mechanics by Prussing and Conway

There's Fundamentals of Astrodynamics by Bates, Mueller and White. This Dover book is inexpensive.

I did a coloring book on conic sections and orbital mechanics. Mostly Kepler stuff and a little Newton. No Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation in this edition.

u/DifferentKindOfUser · 3 pointsr/AskEngineers

Here's the one I used for my undergrad. I believe there's a new edition or two out now, but I still use it to this day. It's very informative.

u/Daniel379ba · 3 pointsr/rocketry

I like learning from books.

I suggest first going through this book: Handbook of Model Rocketry

Learn the concepts (things like CG, CP, thrust vs impulse, etc) and apply them by building multiple rockets with different aspects.

Once you've gotten everything you can out of that book, get this guy: Modern High-Power Rocketry 2. Work your way through it by joining a local NAR/Tripoli chapter. Get your L1 cert, spend some time there doing multiple projects. After you've done a fair amount, go get your L2. Maybe a year later, go for your L3. Projects you can do in each cert level:

  • Go for speed
  • Go for altitude
  • Two stage
  • Dual deploy
  • Cluster

    Or just have fun building rockets you think look cool or are fun to fly!
u/bouncing_bumble · 3 pointsr/bicycling

If you're serious, check out this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Lugged-Bicycle-Frame-Construction-Third/dp/1492232645/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450215670&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=lugged+bike+frame+construction

And go check out the velocipedesalon.com frame builders forums. Lot of active users over there that will answer questions.

u/[deleted] · 3 pointsr/LifeProTips

aspasp123 was arguing that if you're already paying $LOTS for college, then you shouldn't worry about the price of textbooks, which I read as "just buy the all the freaking textbooks at list price"

Given that advice, and that you were an engineering major, I'm going to throw a flag on "only $200 a semester" since I know for a fact there are engineering books that are almost $200 new.

u/GreySoulx · 3 pointsr/AdviceAnimals

zomg I thought it was just me.

I have these books on mechanical movements ( 1800 mechanical movements and 507 mechanical movements ) that I've almost memorized, plus machine tools and how they're made. I also know the basics of how to drill for oil, build a car, and make a transistor.

now I just need to apply it to making a time machine, and I'm set.

u/CrazyStatistician · 3 pointsr/math

Well done!

I think you might enjoy How Round is Your Circle, a book about mechanical approximations (to draw various shapes) and the math behind them.

u/steel_city86 · 3 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

Alright, so here's what I used. Undergrad I used the Moran & Shapiro book. I think it is pretty widely used and may be the most common undergrad book. It was the only one my grad level thermo prof really liked.

If you want a grad level explanation, I would recommend the Gyftopoulos & Beretta book. This is a Dover book so it's cheap ($30 vs $180). It's also a classic in the field. It really changed my perspective on thermo as compared to the undergrad book.

u/somethingreallylame · 3 pointsr/Fallout
u/Elliott2 · 3 pointsr/MechanicalEngineering
u/daywaster · 3 pointsr/engineering
u/roger_ranter · 2 pointsr/engineering

Good answer! I forgot about the ol MERM.

PS- $100 to RENT?!? Fuck that shit.

u/UnknownHinson2 · 2 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

I personally did not care for the Philpot book. I found the Hibbeler Mechanics of Materials book to be far superior. However, I had to purchase the online version of the textbook for my class and I found the animations for that text to be very helpful.

When it comes to the Machine Design course I really liked Machine Elements in Mechanical Design by Mott, and Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design. Machine Design by Norton was my required text for my Machine Design course and the rest of the class, including myself, found that text to be very difficult to follow. It felt like, at least in the fourth edition, the author released a new edition without thoroughly checking his examples. Therefor, about 9 weeks into the course the professor decided to switch textbooks and assigned yet another text for the class. Having fallen for that trap already, I did a quick amazon search and bought the highest rated machinery design textbook; which was the textbook by Mott.

Also, keep in mind that you don't have to spend $100 for a textbook that is not required for the class. Do as I did and purchase either an international edition or better yet and old edition for which you can easily obtain a solutions manual.

It should go without saying that there are many avenues for purchasing textbooks online. I used to frequent Abebooks, but Amazon has since bought it and I have found that their prices have began to increase. Your best bet is to use a site like Bigwords because a site like that searches many textbook websites for all of the textbooks you want, then picks the best price including things like shipping and coupon offers.

Best of luck.

u/TheCaterpillar · 2 pointsr/MachineLearning

Support Vector Machines has a nice little appendix that covers the basics of gateaux derivatives and such.

Optimization by Vector Space Methods is probably my favorite book on calculus of variations.

u/strdg99 · 2 pointsr/AskEngineers

507 Mechanical Movements - Just a fun book for the mechanically minded engineer

u/rothbard_anarchist · 2 pointsr/engineering

I took the EIT/FE years before the PE, so I didn't have my old FE material. However, it seemed that the PE material focused far more on practical information that I used regularly on the job, while the FE stuff was more theoretical classroom information. But my EIT/FE exam was two decades ago, so maybe it's changed.

Edit: I'd recommend this one and this one.

u/MZOOMMAN · 2 pointsr/Physics

These are supposed to be pretty good: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fluid-Mechanics-Course-Theoretical-Physics/dp/0750627670; Lev Landau in his seminal series of texts.

u/Aerothermal · 2 pointsr/thermodynamics

Crash Course Engineering have recently made a series of videos on thermo and heat engines.

MIT Lecture Notes are pretty handy.

Khan Academy has videos on thermo for Chemistry and Physics.

Engineering Toolbox has good notes.

For the key formula, there is a chapter on Thermo in Engineers' Practical Databook and another chapter containing thermal properties of materials. This is a shameless plug but it seems relevant to your question. There is no dragging of a subject, just all the key formula and values clearly stated.

For bulky textbooks I would recommend Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach by Cengel and Boles.

u/meshuggggga · 2 pointsr/math

So, you are gonna be an engineer/scientist, rather than a pure math major which, probably, means techniques will take precedence over ideas and rigor. To that end, you might like:

Engineering Mathematics

Advanced Engineering Mathematics

Numerical Methods for Scientists and Engineers

Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences

Basically, you need to put yourself through technical boot-camp that involves Calculus, Applied Linear Algebra, some Stats, Diff. Equations.

u/heheinterwebz · 2 pointsr/automata

I'd say that if you're a beginner, just watch tons of videos about automatas, how do they move, what are they built with, etc.

If you want to know more about mechanical movements, Amazon is your friend: 507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices

I'd recommend to start easy. Simple movements, great effect. Your creativity is the fulcrum.

u/Tomur · 2 pointsr/AskEngineers

We used these two for mechanical control courses:

http://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Vibrations-5th-Edition-Singiresu/dp/0132128195

http://www.amazon.com/Feedback-Control-Dynamic-Systems-Edition/dp/0136019692

I can't remember the book we used for Linear Systems, but that was ECE.

u/redneckrockuhtree · 2 pointsr/rocketry

CG is easy -- put a motor in, pack the recovery system and find the point where it balances. That's the Center of Gravity.

CP is calculated via modeling. The easiest way is RockSim or Open Rocket. It's the center of aerodynamic pressure.

Do you understand the significance of CP and CG to flight stability? If not, I'd suggest you pick up and read a copy of either Modern High Power Rocketry 2 or The Handbook of Model Rocketry

Both are very good reads with a lot of great info.

u/electric_ionland · 2 pointsr/AerospaceEngineering

Maybe not in the redesign but the old sidebar got the bibles:

u/Assdolf_Shitler · 2 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

this is the book. I had to have it for all homework and classwork. The book itself was ~$650 and the property tables that was required was ~$50. Amazon didn't have it at the time and I panicked and bought it at an off campus bookstore since the professor had homework due the next class period. Since the book was new, as in published that year, no place around me had used editions. So yep, dumbass over here threw down ~$700 for a book. Thankfully the professor said the book would be used throughout the rest of my heat courses (hopefully).

u/ZBoson · 2 pointsr/askscience

Any mechanics text targeted for the standard junior level mechanics course for majors will cover it. I used Fowles and Cassiday when I took it. I'm not really sure what else is standard. The standard text in grad courses is Goldstein, which should be approachable by an undergrad at least. If you're crazy and a classical mechanics junkie like I was as an undergrad, Landau and Lifshitz vol1 is a beautiful treatment (that you unfortunately probably already need to have seen the material once to appreciate. Oh well. Like I said: if you're crazy). The issue here is that sometimes undergrad courses will skip these (as I learned, amazed, when I was encountering other grad students that hadn't done Lagrangian mechanics before) so make sure you read those chapters and do the problems: quantum mechanics is done in a hamiltonian formulation, and quantum field theory in a Lagrangian formulation (the latter is because the Lagriangian treatment is automatically relativistici)

I never had a course specifically on waves. It's something you'll likely hit pretty well in whatever non-freshman E&M course you take. Beware though that some courses targeted at engineers will do AC circuits at the expense of waves. But the text is still useable to look into it yourself.

u/pretzelcuatl · 2 pointsr/rocketry

This book will show you the way. It's the next best thing to having a friend who already knows. Though I don't believe it discusses 3D printing.

u/boredcentsless · 2 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

As far as I can tell you sit in a room and look stuff up in this

u/dangersandwich · 2 pointsr/AskEngineers

See this wiki page to get an idea of what engineers do for work on a daily basis: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/wiki/workexperience#wiki_work_experience

> I don't want to get as specific as individual circuits or servos, I'd rather find and source those systems and then add them together to make a larger project.

Broadly speaking, this is called electromechanical design, which is simply combining electrical design and machine design. Often when a vehicle gets complex enough, the electrical design and mechanical design are split off into two teams (with sub-teams for each subsystem in those categories), and a third team is created to integrate the two together. The people who make sure all the different subsystems play together nicely are sometimes called Systems Engineers or Integration Engineers, or more jokingly "Engineering Engineers".

I don't know much about the electrical side, but for machine design most people including myself are going to recommend Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design. I suggest getting the 9th Edition or newer just for the introduction chapter, which is one of the best overviews of engineering I've read. You will also want to learn Statics and Dynamics which is a 2nd year course for a wide range of engineering disciplines.

UAVs (commonly called 'drones') are an electromechanical system as most modern vehicles today are, but being an airborne system you will also need some understanding of aerodynamics. Most aerospace engineering undergrads learn this at the beginning of their 3rd year because you need an understanding of vector Calculus and dynamics before grasping concepts in aerodynamics.

u/stamor99 · 2 pointsr/CFBOffTopic

The big one was Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design. All the NCEES test development is done at Clemson and living in SC, a lot of those professors teach prep classes. This one was recommended far and above any other textbook for Machine Design stuff.

I think, in total, I brought in the MERM (heavily marked and noted), the MERM problem guide, the two practice exams, the Machinery's Handbook, Shigley's book, the conversion guide, a couple of the guides given to me at the prep classes (which were mostly focused on HVAC and fluids as my weak points).

The most use came out of the MERM obviously, but there were some questions on the tests that were verbatim out of the problem sets. It was all the right amount of stuff to bring without getting too bogged down in the materials (like the CEs I saw that brought in rolling carts worth of materials).

u/alexchally · 2 pointsr/MechanicalEngineering

You might take a look at this video, its a 1953 training film from the US Navy that covers the basics of a mechanical fire control computer. It includes information on a large number of mechanisms that would be helpful in making a mechanical computer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1i-dnAH9Y4

EDIT: You might also grab an older edition of Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design: http://www.amazon.com/Shigleys-Mechanical-Engineering-Design-McGraw-Hill/dp/0073398209

u/Nexlol · 2 pointsr/AskEngineers

To quote my machine design 2 professor: the amazing involute! This is the book I was taught out of and, in my opinion, pretty decent (link). To be honest if you don't want to buy a text book sharpen your google-fu or go find a mechanical engineering professor at your university, I'm sure they would be happy to talk to you about them.


EDIT: Not that I don't want to take the time to explain it but I don't want to take the time to draw it out, find a scanner and scan it, upload it, and then write out a text explanation. Something to be said for a whiteboard / scratch paper when explaining things that makes it hard to do on the internet without spending loads of time. Props don't translate well either. I remember my professor had wheel with string on it, for drawing involutes, that was very useful.

u/theobromus · 2 pointsr/learnmath

I'm not familiar with that book, but it does seem to cover a lot of useful material and be reasonably well-reviewed.

As to the simulations - the Wikipedia article mentions "Numerical computational approaches using computers are outside the scope of the book." So you might need to get some materials to learn that also. Maybe something like this (although I haven't read this book either): http://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Methods-Scientists-Engineers-Mathematics/dp/0486652416

It sounds like you are particularly interested in numerical approaches to differential equations. You might start by just reading the Wikipedia article on Runge-Kutta http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runge%E2%80%93Kutta_methods

If you have questions about them, feel free to post them here - I think people should be able to help you along.

u/jtoppan · 2 pointsr/AskEngineers

The stock answers are Roark's if it was full of equations, or Shigley's if it was full of diagrams.

Maybe Machinery Handbook, but it doesn't sound like it.

u/TheClassicFail · 2 pointsr/engineering

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0978802209

Look up Eaton training and their book on industrial hydraulics. I use it Dailey
.

u/MichelS4 · 1 pointr/elderscrollslegends

It's sort of worse, to be honest. The book in the picture, for example, can be found here, and can be bought new for the low low price of 224$! Meanwhile, you can usually get a pretty decent meal at the cafeteria of my uni for 10$. That's almost a month's worth of lunch. For one single book!

u/awksomepenguin · 1 pointr/AerospaceEngineering

How does Roark's compare to Shigley's?

u/ferrari9191 · 1 pointr/EngineeringStudents

I self-taught with this.

u/kal_zakath · 1 pointr/Physics

I did my masters project on vorticity, and the book I kept referring to for the basic fluids stuff was David Acheson's book. Very readable.

u/CafeNero · 1 pointr/math

I will remember that. I have Arnold's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics

u/Rocket_stuff · 1 pointr/rocketry

Depends on what you're trying to do. Do you want to build and launch high power rockets for fun? Compete in competitions? Build model rockets with a focus on educational outreach? There's a lot of options.

I would recommend a bit of reading first: the Modern High-Power Rocketry 2 book is one I can vouch for. It provides a lot of good tips on build and launch activities.

As for clubs, check out NAR or Tripoli Rocketry Association's webpages to see if there are local chapters. Usually, local clubs have a website of their own where you should be able to find a contact. Don't hesitate to ask them for advice, as they're usually very generous with helping new people to the hobby get involved.

As for leadership: this is more nebulous. I would start by building up an executive board around you. Things like Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Director, etc. are pretty much must haves and will help you divvy up the workload. Having an outreach focal helps to build involvement, and promote the club as well. Build a board, give people long term goals, and they should start making things move on their own.

Funding: if you're part of a major school, your school will have a funding program for student organizations. Start with them, build a case for what you need funds for, and how much you want, then use those funds to accomplish your first year goals. Build a baseline, and some history, before you attempt to contact outside funding sources (this isn't strictly necessary, but it will help make your growth long term sustainable and limit possible friction sources).

Things to consider: you'll need to find a decent workspace. Your college and department will be the deciding factor in whether or not this is easy, or a pain in the ass. Don't work out of some guys apartment, though.

Giving other people work that has clear objectives, is obviously beneficial to the program and their own lives, and has clear deadlines is a must for creating a cohesive working group. This applies to both an executive board and a student body. Don't try to do everything yourself unless you want to do everything by yourself.

Rockets are really cool. Try to do something (or several things) really cool in the first year. Go on a tour of a NASA or Space Industry company facility near your school. Build a rocket that goes supersonic, or is just your school's first high power rocket. Do an outreach program where you teach local kids about rocketry and space science. There's tons of opportunities. Find out what your club is interested in doing, and do your best to make that thing happen, and people will want to come back next year and do even better things.

u/not_chriscohoat · 1 pointr/engineering

Are you in a thermo course now? I found that working through the Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics was how I learned it the best. I only took two thermo levels, but having the solutions and a copy of the book worked wonders for my thermo knowledge.

I'd have to look a bit harder to find a downloadable version of the book, but I really liked the examples and text in the edition I linked to above.

u/Lastminutebastrd · 1 pointr/Hydraulics

Either trade school or get a job at a hydraulic shop. I'll second getting on the IFPS website and start looking at the certifications and testing.

Start the learning process now. At a base level hydraulics is easy (pumps make flow, resistance to flow builds pressure) but quickly gets complicated once you start getting to the controls side.

Find a book like this

u/GeckoAttack · 1 pointr/MechanicalEngineering

There's two textbooks that are commonly used to teach material behavior and mechanical component design (such as springs, bearings, etc). Both these textbooks are what I had to learn with.

http://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Behavior-Materials-4th-Edition/dp/0131395068

http://www.amazon.com/Shigleys-Mechanical-Engineering-Design-McGraw-Hill/dp/0073398209

Both these textbooks are easily to obtain if yer a pirate, as well as the solution manuals. They start fairly basic, however, they quickly go quite in depth. Shigley will probably be most useful for you, but definitely flip through them both. There will be a lot of over-lap content wise. I doubt you will find any textbook material on starter springs specifically because they are a specialty spring, however, mechanics of springs still apply to them.

Have fun :p Component design can get very complicated and convoluted so try and not get frustrated if things don't make sense. Let me know if you have any more questions, and feel free to PM at anytime. I can't promise I'll have a good or correct answer for you all the time, but I can try. Component design was actually one of my least favorite classes so it's definitely not my strong suit, but I understand the majority of what is taught in Shigley's and Dowling's.

u/brianblack2b · 1 pointr/askscience

Hello, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering here. I took a class in Orbital Mechanics during Undergrad, taught by the man who wrote the book on the subject.

So, short answer: no limit, as long as you get the math right.

The basic physics behind gravity assists involves a fun interplay between conservation of momentum and gravity. If you have a spacecraft flying through space, and it encounters the gravity well of a massive object also flying through space, the spacecraft will naturally be drawn TOWARD that planet. This gravity pull will naturally ACCELERATE that object. Slower spacecraft or spacecraft pointed more or less directly at the planet will simply run into the planet. However, if the spacecraft has enough of its own momentum built up and approaches the planet roughly tangential to that planet's own trajectory thru space, the spacecraft will benefit from the accelerating boost in speed from that planet's gravity but still have enough forward momentum to escape the planet's gravitational pull on keep on its merry way through space, now moving a little bit faster than before.

So, as long as you can keep finding that sweet spot around a planet where you don't crash into the planet and don't miss its gravity well entirely, you can keep benefiting from the accelerating affects of gravity.

u/cratchety · 1 pointr/nottheonion

Nope. I'm referring to Carnot efficiency. If you have found a way around this, you will win a Nobel and a few other prizes, and revolutionize humanity as we know it.

If you are interested, look into a good thermo text. I use this one for most of the classes I teach:

http://www.amazon.com/Thermodynamics-Engineering-Approach-Yunus-Cengel/dp/0073398179

Including in this this class:
http://www.colorado.edu/catalog/2012-13/courses/engr/b-mcen/3032-thermodynamics-2

u/RainbowNowOpen · 1 pointr/OHSA

I recently read this book about circle checking and more. It's quite good but if you're not into math/history/philosophy then I think OP is talking about this.

u/TeleVue · 1 pointr/engineering

[Here is my school's ThermoDynamics Lecture Videos]

This was the book we used, similar to what the videos followed

Two videos a day along with reading should catch you right up. Doing some problems will really drive in those concepts.

When I took the class, we had about 1/5th of the students Aerospace and like 3 people ChemE. Total class size was about 250.

You can probably find the book pdf online or on chegg.

u/fonix5 · 1 pointr/PE_Exam

For studying, I bought the MERM and the associated book of practice problems. But these are more complicated than the actual test, so do not be discouraged if you have trouble with their content. The NCEES PE practice exam is closer to reality.

As you study, create a 3-ring (no loose or stapled papers permitted in test) binder of the most useful reference information that you use frequently. Dan Molloy has a practice course and an excellent Youtube channel. Begin studying at least 6 months out.

The MERM also has a quick reference book, but I didn't use that much during my test. However, I did use the ASHRAE books (eg ASHRAE Fundamentals 2017) to look up obscure refrigerants and reference tables for subjects like vibration and noise. Find these and borrow them from another engineer - they are worth at least 5 correct answers.

​

Good luck!

u/adventuringraw · 1 pointr/learnmachinelearning

here?

I've got a fucking stack I'm working through, but I'll definitely add it to the pile. Thanks for the recommendation.

u/MechEGoneNuclear · 1 pointr/engineering

I haven't gotten it in front of my own eyes, but it's on my wishlist and has good reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978802209/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=APCELNUT4TH0&coliid=I3QQ5IX0PKQK6T

They have some other stuff too, http://www.hydraulicsliteraturestore.com/trma.html

I'd have to get back to my desk to check if Mark's or if the Machinery Handbook have info on schematics/symbols.

PM me the print and I'll take a look at it, see if it's in my realm of understanding.

u/ubermalark · 1 pointr/Physics

Hopefully that optics book by Fowles is better than his analytical mechanics textbook.. I did not enjoy learning mechanics from that text

EDIT: Also nearly every dover book is a bargain.. I can almost never not buy one when I see them in the book store

u/real_garry_kaserpov · 1 pointr/engineering

Oh crap yeah u right I found this book to be helpful as well https://www.amazon.com/Shigleys-Mechanical-Engineering-Design-McGraw-Hill/dp/0073398209

u/JoinXorDie · 1 pointr/datascience

If you want theoretical / mathematical I would suggest reading a few math, stats or engineering books.

Dover is a great place to find some cheaper reading material. They republish old scientific and math texts that were popular in their time in a smaller sized paperback. They're a nice size to bring around with you and they don't cost much.

Math and stats findings of today build on this knowledge, and much of it is still used in state-of-the-art applications. Or, that math/stats is used as part of some state-of-the-art algorithm. Lots of the newest ML algorithms are blending math from a variety of areas.

Statistical analysis of experimental data

Principals of Statistics

Information Theory

Statistics Manual

Some theory of sampling

Numerical Methods for Scientists and Engineers (Hamming)

Mathematical Handbook for Scientists Engineers

Handbook of Mathematical Functions: with Formulas, Graphs, and Mathematical Tables

==

There is also the Data-Science Humble Bundle for more technical / practical skill building.

u/rennmax · 1 pointr/math

Once you get a hang of the basics, there is a great monograph if you're interested in the applications of some of the more abstract ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/Optimization-Vector-Methods-Decision-Control/dp/047118117X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238767125&sr=8-1

u/misplaced_my_pants · 1 pointr/math

It's funny you mention Hahn-Banach, because I recently came across this book which you might find useful. Read the reviews to see if it might help.

Also Googling the title and author might prove useful . . . .

u/Orleanian · 1 pointr/pics

FWIW not all professors are dicks like that. My absolute favorite class in school had a professors-written book, and it was 19 years until they made a second edition (and that 2nd edition has been going strong for 6 years).

Good fellows, those guys.

u/WalterFStarbuck · 1 pointr/AskReddit

In addition to Guns, Germs, and Steel:

u/OoglieBooglie93 · 1 pointr/KerbalSpaceProgram

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199837708/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Orbital Mechanics, by Prussing and Conway.

From what I hear, it's the best. I have it myself, although I haven't used it too much (been busy with other stuff). I CAN tell you, however, that it does include a chapter specifically on ion propulsion, which is what I've been chipping at every now and then. Maneuver nodes work pretty decently with high thrust engines, but not so much for low thrust, which is where the book can help you. The downside is that it's not cheap. I paid about 110 bucks for it on Amazon.

Also, that ion propulsion chapter (or low thrust engines in general, to be more exact) isn't in the first edition, it's in the newer second edition. Legitimately the first time I've actually been happy for an updated edition of a book.

u/ood_lambda · 0 pointsr/askscience

The problem is you can't do it with a single tool. If we only used a ruler to make a new ruler, which then made a third ruler; each generation is successively worse. By combining a ruler, a level, gauge lengths, etc. you can make more accurate tools down through the generations, which is exactly how we've gotten to the point of creating parts accurate down to tenths of a micrometer.

Theoretically you could 3D print all of the parts needed for a new 3D printer then use traditional manufacturing methods to clean them up - drill, smooth, level, etc. But if you do that you've given up nearly every advantage of 3D printing and made parts unnecessarily expensive. At that point it'd be far cheaper, faster, and easier to just cut the parts out of a hunk of ABS plastic and be done with it.

If you're interested in this, check out How Round is Your Circle and Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy (long out of print but fairly easy to find in libraries). They do a good job of explaining the history of accuracy in mechanical parts.

u/I_am_a_haiku_bot · -1 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

As far as I can

tell you sit in a room and

look stuff up in this


__
^^^-english_haiku_bot