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Misers and lasers, how they work, what they do
Book Notes large systems, "scaling up" the methods suitable for minor well-defined problems to major design of ill-defined problems is a practical impossibility. The illustrations in this section suffer, too, from this lack of substance, offering interesting interruptions of the text, but of little practical value. The book is excellently organized, reflecting a minor "human engineering" triumph in its layout. Subsections are easy to find and clearly divided. Figures are abundant and usually easy to locate. Unfortunately, not all figures have the large clear numbers adopted by the editors. In some sections, several figures in a
sequence have all identifyingnumbers omitted, forcing the reader into turning pages and interpolating between existing numbers. This is a minor annoyance, to be sure, but consistent enough to detract from the readers' facility in using the book. This volume will provide basic data needed for an informed approach to solving design problems for almost any type of equipment that humans must operate. Its directness, comprehensiveness and authority recommend it to the busy engineer's reference shelf. RICHARD E. ZAPOLIN Franklin Institute Laboratories
Book Notes PHYSICS OF SOLIDS, by C. A. Wert and R. M. Thomson. 436 pages, diagrams, illustrations, 6¼ X 9t in. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1964. Price, $10.50. Authors Wert and Thomson have prepared a text offering a description of the physical nature of matter in the solid state. The book is divided into three major divisions. The first six chapters deal with the crystal structure of solids and properties which depend on crystal structure; chapters seven through ten and twelve discuss the electronic structure of solids ; the remaining chapters are applications of electronic structure to the electrical and magnetic properties of metals, semiconductors, and ionic crystals. The text emphasizes the relationship between solid types: the approach in most cases being quantitative rather than qualitative. Basic theories and equations of quantum mechanics are included without rigorous mathematical derivations, and the treatment is intended to be at an intermediate level. The last chapter of the book is a discussion concerning nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance. The authors have presented this text with two goals in mind : a physical understanding of the properties of solids; adequate preparation for specialized study in specific areas of application. No prior course in solid state physics or
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material sciences is required, but a background in differential and integral calculus will be helpful to the reader. MASERS AND LASERS, How THEY WORK, WHAT THEY DO, by M. Brotherton. 207 pages, diagrams, illustrations, 51 X 8 in. New York, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1964. Price, $8.50. The author introduces the laser and maser to the interested layman in simple nonmathematical language, explaining in an elementary way how they came to be, how they work, what they do. Starting with their common origin in physical science, he discusses their principles, significance and usefulness to science and technology. The sixteen chapters of the book include discussions on: electromagnetic waves, laser radiation, spectroscopy, atomic theory, nature of the atom, concept of the photon, concept of stimulated emission, traveling-wave ruby masers, ruby and helium-neon lasers, the semi-conductor junction laser, uses of masers and lasers, communicating with lasers, significance of frequency bandwidth, and a capsule history of masers and lasers. This book will be welcomed by the non-specialist for its easy, interesting style, and its presentation of these fascinating electronic devices.
Journal of The FranklinInstitute
sequence have all identifyingnumbers omitted, forcing the reader into turning pages and interpolating between existing numbers. This is a minor annoyance, to be sure, but consistent enough to detract from the readers' facility in using the book. This volume will provide basic data needed for an informed approach to solving design problems for almost any type of equipment that humans must operate. Its directness, comprehensiveness and authority recommend it to the busy engineer's reference shelf. RICHARD E. ZAPOLIN Franklin Institute Laboratories
Book Notes PHYSICS OF SOLIDS, by C. A. Wert and R. M. Thomson. 436 pages, diagrams, illustrations, 6¼ X 9t in. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1964. Price, $10.50. Authors Wert and Thomson have prepared a text offering a description of the physical nature of matter in the solid state. The book is divided into three major divisions. The first six chapters deal with the crystal structure of solids and properties which depend on crystal structure; chapters seven through ten and twelve discuss the electronic structure of solids ; the remaining chapters are applications of electronic structure to the electrical and magnetic properties of metals, semiconductors, and ionic crystals. The text emphasizes the relationship between solid types: the approach in most cases being quantitative rather than qualitative. Basic theories and equations of quantum mechanics are included without rigorous mathematical derivations, and the treatment is intended to be at an intermediate level. The last chapter of the book is a discussion concerning nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance. The authors have presented this text with two goals in mind : a physical understanding of the properties of solids; adequate preparation for specialized study in specific areas of application. No prior course in solid state physics or
66
material sciences is required, but a background in differential and integral calculus will be helpful to the reader. MASERS AND LASERS, How THEY WORK, WHAT THEY DO, by M. Brotherton. 207 pages, diagrams, illustrations, 51 X 8 in. New York, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1964. Price, $8.50. The author introduces the laser and maser to the interested layman in simple nonmathematical language, explaining in an elementary way how they came to be, how they work, what they do. Starting with their common origin in physical science, he discusses their principles, significance and usefulness to science and technology. The sixteen chapters of the book include discussions on: electromagnetic waves, laser radiation, spectroscopy, atomic theory, nature of the atom, concept of the photon, concept of stimulated emission, traveling-wave ruby masers, ruby and helium-neon lasers, the semi-conductor junction laser, uses of masers and lasers, communicating with lasers, significance of frequency bandwidth, and a capsule history of masers and lasers. This book will be welcomed by the non-specialist for its easy, interesting style, and its presentation of these fascinating electronic devices.
Journal of The FranklinInstitute