ElectronicsâUnderstanding. Electronics Using Basic. Physics. R. Morrison. John Wiley & Sons. 605 3rd Ave 4th Floor. New York, NY 10158. Phone +1 800 225 ...
crystal material properties into one well-written volume.
Preparing and Delivering Effective Technical Presentations D. Adamy Artech House Publishers 685 Canton Street Norwood, MA 02062 Phone +1 800 225 9977 Phone +44 (0)20 7630 0166 www.artechhouse.com ISBN 1-58053-017-6 280 pp. - $69.00 (Hardback), 2000 At some point in his or her career, every technical professional has to make a presentation. It may be a conference presentation, a sales pitch, approval for a project, a class, project review, or any variety of reasons. Your goal for making the presentation depends entirely on how effectively your presentation comes across, rather than solely on the technical content. This book provides practical guidance for making effective technical presentations. It covers the entire range of preparing a presentation, right from the beginning of an outline to the actual presentation, gives many practical tips, and advice to improve your presentation. The chapters are grouped into topic areas that include defining objectives, using visual aids, designing and producing visual aids, room logistics, presentation techniques, handling multiple speakers, and real world tips. Not only does this book give very good advice for preparing good presentations, but also it helps to insure a presentation that will convey the message and the action that you want the audience to take away from your work. There are also many helpful tips on using the latest presentation equipment to your advantage including computer-aided presentations, VGA projectors, video projectors, and storage media. The author provides advice on real world situations involving the work review, marketing, technical conference, an after-dinner technical talk, and presenting a prepared paper. September/October 2002 — Vol. 18, No. 5
This excellent book would benefit novice and even well-seasoned technical presenters.
Reactive Polymer Blending W.E. Baker, C.E. Scott, and G.-H. Hu, Editors Hanser-Gardner Publications 6915 Valley Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45244 www.hansergradner.com 291 pp. - $129.95 (hardback) 2001 Blending of dissimilar polymers can be difficult, because the polymers tend to phase segregate in order to minimize the interfacial tension of the system. Nevertheless, blending of polymers is attractive because of the possibility of preparing a material that has a unique combination of properties. One of the strategies for dealing with this problem is reactive polymer blending. In this technique, compatibilizers are formed in situ when the polymers are blended. After a short background on this approach, the book discusses the different types of polymers that can be blended by this method, effects of reactive blending on polymer morphology, the roles of particular molecular structures in reactive polymer blending, and the rheology of these polymer blends. Subsequent chapters discuss reactive blending in extruders and the design of extruders for this process. Reactive blending has been used most often with polyamides, and one chapter is devoted to rubber-toughened polyamides prepared by reactive blending. The final chapter describes the use of low molecular weight additives. This book would be useful to anyone considering this method of polymer blending, which can be expected to yield materials having improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. —K.F. Schoch, Jr.
The Fields of Electronics—Understanding Electronics Using Basic Physics R. Morrison John Wiley & Sons 605 3rd Ave 4th Floor New York, NY 10158
Phone +1 800 225 5945 www.wiley.com ISBN 0-471-22290-9192 192 pp. - $54.95 (Hardcover), 2002 Traditionally, circuit theory is used to model electrical and electronic circuits as lumped components. However, this method does not always provide adequate solutions and insight into complex problems that often face today’s engineers. Many circuits, either due to their large size, high-frequency transients, high-speed switching, or high current/voltage, do not behave as expected from circuit theory due to the interaction of component fields and nonideal components. Circuit theory does not account for the electric and magnetic fields generated by every electrical circuit. These fields are the cause of many types of EMI/RFI problems, circuit noise, and nonfunctional equipment. By characterizing the nonideal characteristics of electrical circuits, including wire effects, proximity effects, and parasitic effects, the designer can develop better circuits. This book was written to bring together two topics: circuit theory and electromagnetic field theory. It is another outstanding and practical reference by Ralph Morrison. While containing many of the themes and drawings from his previous books on grounding and shielding, the author has added many new topics in the areas of analog and digital design and power facilities. While the book does not teach circuit theory or electromagnetic theory in the traditional sense, it rather brings a physical meaning and picture to what is actually happening in an electrical circuit from a field point of view. This is intended to give the designer a more complete understanding to circuit design and layout. It is a bridge between circuit theory and physics. There is a review of the electric and magnetic fields in all the basic electrical components (RLC) before reviewing the practical circuit concepts. Some of the circuits described include utility power, antennas, waveguides, transformers, analog circuits, relays, digital circuits, and distribution facilities. (continued on page 52)
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