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Handbook of Measurement Science
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I /¢1S look into ways in which collaboration between establishments and universities could be improved. While some of us in universities had been critical, none of us would have denied the many contributions made by N.P.L., one of the greatest being radar in 1935. In this connexion I was sorry not to find, in a generally excellent appendix giving biographical notes of the principal characters in N.P.L. history, the name of A.F. Wilkins. Beyond question he made the original proposal of the radar principle to his Superintendent, Robert Watson-Watt. With my own interest in elastic movements in instrument design, I also looked in vain for the name of E.M. Eden, who as far as I know was the inventor of the parallelspring movement now widely employed in precise mechanical devices. It would have been difficult in
such a compact, albeit expensive, book to convey an impression of the many aspects of social life associated with the laboratory - the sports team, amateur dramatics and Christmas parties for children, for example, and the author has not attempted to do so: but he has included many good features, one being the sequence of sketched aerial views showing the development of the Teddington campus over the years, and another a calendar of the major events in the laLoratory against a global background of happenings in science and technology generally. Mr. Pyatt deserves the gratitude of all generations which have been or will be associated with the Laboratory whose history he has recorded. R. V. Jones Aberdeen University, UK
Handbook of Measurement ~ i e n c e Volume
1 - Theoretical Fundamentals
Ed. P.H. S y d e n h a m According to the publishers, the aim of their Handbook is to describe those underlying principles which are relevant to all measurement systems, regardless of the application. This book (Volume 1) covers the fundamentals relating to theoretical design principles; Volume 2 will cover specific design, application and maintenance of measurement systems. This is a good book, but it is also a book about which I have some reservations. The most fundamental is that I believe that the credibility of any measurement philosophy does depend on its application. Real examples of the application of a measuring methodology which gives a documented improvement in signal to noise ratio would have far more impact on the average reader than the theoretical treatments presented in this tome. Perhaps Volume 2 will be sufficiently explicit. It is a pity that there is inconPublished by John Wiley, Chichester, UK, priced £29.00. ISBN 0 471100374
140
sistency in the nomenclature; for example, the laplace transform appears in some chapters as p and in others as s. A more fundamental inconsistency is that the authors of certain chapters appear unaware that the theory of errors is fundamental to any theory of metrology. There is an irritatingly large list of standards committees when a list of the relevant standards, complete with their numbers, source etc, would have been far more useful. The breadth of information presented is commendable, but one cannot help wondering at whom the book is aimed. The specialist in this field can 'dip' into the book, almost at random, and be sure of coming up with something useful. For the less expert reader, however, the inconsistencies and rather esoteric 'feel' are likely to be discouraging. The book is worth buying, but it could have been so much better. D. J. Whitehouse University o f Warwick, UK
Update book on edm SME has recently published 'Electrical Discharge Machining: tooling, methods and applications', a collection of technical papers and journal articles. The 238-page book, edited by E:C. Jameson of McWiiliams Machinery Supply Inc, is the latest in the Manufacturing Update Series. In six chapters, the book discusses characteristics of edm, electrodes, dielectric fluids, ram-type and wirecut edm applications, and provides a glossary of edm terms; The price is $32~00 ($27.00 to members of SME and its constituent associations). Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Publications Sales Department, One SME Drive, PQ Box 930, Dearborn, MI 48121, USA
Surface texture measurement A lO-page brochure is available describing the Taylor-Hobson Surtronlc 3 portable, battery/mains powered surface roughness measuring instrument. 'Surtronic 3 - Surface measurement with total portability' describes the basic instrument for Ra measurement, the add-on Parameter Module for selection of additional surface texture parameters, and the Surgraphic Recorder. There are sections on alternative pick-ups and accessories and examples which show the Surtronic 3 in various measuring applications. Copies are available free of charge from the Sales Department, Rank Taylor Hobson Limited, PO Box 36, Guthlaxton Street, Leicester LE2 0SL, U K
Precision machiningsystems Boston Digital Corporation has released a 28-page brochure on the entire line of BostoMatic precision machining systems. 'Precision Productivity' describes ten systems - from milling to drilling, engraving to profiling. A photograph of each system is included along with a table of specifications including spindle hp, r/min, number, table size, table travel, cross travel, vertical travel, work area and approximate net weight. Boston Digital Corporation, 86 South Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA
JUL 1 9 8 3 V O L S N O : ~
I /¢1S look into ways in which collaboration between establishments and universities could be improved. While some of us in universities had been critical, none of us would have denied the many contributions made by N.P.L., one of the greatest being radar in 1935. In this connexion I was sorry not to find, in a generally excellent appendix giving biographical notes of the principal characters in N.P.L. history, the name of A.F. Wilkins. Beyond question he made the original proposal of the radar principle to his Superintendent, Robert Watson-Watt. With my own interest in elastic movements in instrument design, I also looked in vain for the name of E.M. Eden, who as far as I know was the inventor of the parallelspring movement now widely employed in precise mechanical devices. It would have been difficult in
such a compact, albeit expensive, book to convey an impression of the many aspects of social life associated with the laboratory - the sports team, amateur dramatics and Christmas parties for children, for example, and the author has not attempted to do so: but he has included many good features, one being the sequence of sketched aerial views showing the development of the Teddington campus over the years, and another a calendar of the major events in the laLoratory against a global background of happenings in science and technology generally. Mr. Pyatt deserves the gratitude of all generations which have been or will be associated with the Laboratory whose history he has recorded. R. V. Jones Aberdeen University, UK
Handbook of Measurement ~ i e n c e Volume
1 - Theoretical Fundamentals
Ed. P.H. S y d e n h a m According to the publishers, the aim of their Handbook is to describe those underlying principles which are relevant to all measurement systems, regardless of the application. This book (Volume 1) covers the fundamentals relating to theoretical design principles; Volume 2 will cover specific design, application and maintenance of measurement systems. This is a good book, but it is also a book about which I have some reservations. The most fundamental is that I believe that the credibility of any measurement philosophy does depend on its application. Real examples of the application of a measuring methodology which gives a documented improvement in signal to noise ratio would have far more impact on the average reader than the theoretical treatments presented in this tome. Perhaps Volume 2 will be sufficiently explicit. It is a pity that there is inconPublished by John Wiley, Chichester, UK, priced £29.00. ISBN 0 471100374
140
sistency in the nomenclature; for example, the laplace transform appears in some chapters as p and in others as s. A more fundamental inconsistency is that the authors of certain chapters appear unaware that the theory of errors is fundamental to any theory of metrology. There is an irritatingly large list of standards committees when a list of the relevant standards, complete with their numbers, source etc, would have been far more useful. The breadth of information presented is commendable, but one cannot help wondering at whom the book is aimed. The specialist in this field can 'dip' into the book, almost at random, and be sure of coming up with something useful. For the less expert reader, however, the inconsistencies and rather esoteric 'feel' are likely to be discouraging. The book is worth buying, but it could have been so much better. D. J. Whitehouse University o f Warwick, UK
Update book on edm SME has recently published 'Electrical Discharge Machining: tooling, methods and applications', a collection of technical papers and journal articles. The 238-page book, edited by E:C. Jameson of McWiiliams Machinery Supply Inc, is the latest in the Manufacturing Update Series. In six chapters, the book discusses characteristics of edm, electrodes, dielectric fluids, ram-type and wirecut edm applications, and provides a glossary of edm terms; The price is $32~00 ($27.00 to members of SME and its constituent associations). Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Publications Sales Department, One SME Drive, PQ Box 930, Dearborn, MI 48121, USA
Surface texture measurement A lO-page brochure is available describing the Taylor-Hobson Surtronlc 3 portable, battery/mains powered surface roughness measuring instrument. 'Surtronic 3 - Surface measurement with total portability' describes the basic instrument for Ra measurement, the add-on Parameter Module for selection of additional surface texture parameters, and the Surgraphic Recorder. There are sections on alternative pick-ups and accessories and examples which show the Surtronic 3 in various measuring applications. Copies are available free of charge from the Sales Department, Rank Taylor Hobson Limited, PO Box 36, Guthlaxton Street, Leicester LE2 0SL, U K
Precision machiningsystems Boston Digital Corporation has released a 28-page brochure on the entire line of BostoMatic precision machining systems. 'Precision Productivity' describes ten systems - from milling to drilling, engraving to profiling. A photograph of each system is included along with a table of specifications including spindle hp, r/min, number, table size, table travel, cross travel, vertical travel, work area and approximate net weight. Boston Digital Corporation, 86 South Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA
JUL 1 9 8 3 V O L S N O : ~