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Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the First Edition
It is said that “if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day; if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.” This adage represents the entire aim of science, that is, to characterize or explain as wide a range of phenomena or conditions as possible with the least number of rules. In short, science generalizes to as large a degree as possible. To memorize a formula that applies to only one set of conditions is no more learning science than giving a man a fish is teaching him how to fish. Yet many cultures, including our own, continue to teach by requiring memorization of rules or formulas. Students wind up learning formulas they do not understand with little idea of the underlying assumptions on which they are based (and conditions to which they apply.) The result is students who show very little imagination and extension of thought to solve new problems, which is the very essence of science. The author has seen students with a great deal of tenacity, but not creativity, spend hours upon hours late into the night attempting to find a solution to a problem by searching dozens of books, rather than attempting to solve it by thinking it through, using their own internal resources. This book stresses concepts and gives a series of problems to demonstrate the understanding of the concepts rather than just the memorization of “facts”; the difference results in the molding of a mind into that of a scientist in preference to molding a mind into an insignificantly small, unreliable database.
I hope instructors who use this book make the tests open bookdafter all, life in the mill is open bookdthere is no point in teaching any other way. Some of the problems in this book are deliberately irrelevant to anything one might encounter in reality to demonstrate the wide applicability of certain techniques and to discourage the student from trying to find a reference book to solve the problem. Frequent “curve balls” are included to keep one thinking in terms of the “big picture”; that is, when problem-solving in a mill, one is not going to have all the necessary information delivered on a silver platter. It is important to figure out what information is required, what information is at hand, and where to obtain the remainder of the information to solve a problem. Often it is not what we do not know, but rather what we think we know that is not true, that causes us problems. This book is designed as an educational tool for pulp and paper science courses and a reference book to those in industry. It is a scientific reference concentrating on principles of pulp and paper processes rather than the multitudinous types of equipment available to carry out these processes. TAPPI Standard Methods are emphasized, but many of the TAPPI Standards give references to related methods such as those of ASTM, CPPA, SCAN, ISO, and APPITA. Material is presented roughly in the same order as material flows through the pulp and
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PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
paper mill. The first section of the book covers fundamentals, and the later sections cover more advanced treatments. It is impossible to present so much information on so many diverse areas and supply all of the necessary background in each section without undue duplication. Also, one does not like to burden the novice with details only important to a few investigators. It is appropriate to use the extensive index as the ultimate,
alphabetical guide to this volume to find all of the material available on a particular topic. The author welcomes your comments regarding this book and suggestions for teaching aids. Christopher J. Biermann Oregon State University Oregon, USA
It is said that “if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day; if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.” This adage represents the entire aim of science, that is, to characterize or explain as wide a range of phenomena or conditions as possible with the least number of rules. In short, science generalizes to as large a degree as possible. To memorize a formula that applies to only one set of conditions is no more learning science than giving a man a fish is teaching him how to fish. Yet many cultures, including our own, continue to teach by requiring memorization of rules or formulas. Students wind up learning formulas they do not understand with little idea of the underlying assumptions on which they are based (and conditions to which they apply.) The result is students who show very little imagination and extension of thought to solve new problems, which is the very essence of science. The author has seen students with a great deal of tenacity, but not creativity, spend hours upon hours late into the night attempting to find a solution to a problem by searching dozens of books, rather than attempting to solve it by thinking it through, using their own internal resources. This book stresses concepts and gives a series of problems to demonstrate the understanding of the concepts rather than just the memorization of “facts”; the difference results in the molding of a mind into that of a scientist in preference to molding a mind into an insignificantly small, unreliable database.
I hope instructors who use this book make the tests open bookdafter all, life in the mill is open bookdthere is no point in teaching any other way. Some of the problems in this book are deliberately irrelevant to anything one might encounter in reality to demonstrate the wide applicability of certain techniques and to discourage the student from trying to find a reference book to solve the problem. Frequent “curve balls” are included to keep one thinking in terms of the “big picture”; that is, when problem-solving in a mill, one is not going to have all the necessary information delivered on a silver platter. It is important to figure out what information is required, what information is at hand, and where to obtain the remainder of the information to solve a problem. Often it is not what we do not know, but rather what we think we know that is not true, that causes us problems. This book is designed as an educational tool for pulp and paper science courses and a reference book to those in industry. It is a scientific reference concentrating on principles of pulp and paper processes rather than the multitudinous types of equipment available to carry out these processes. TAPPI Standard Methods are emphasized, but many of the TAPPI Standards give references to related methods such as those of ASTM, CPPA, SCAN, ISO, and APPITA. Material is presented roughly in the same order as material flows through the pulp and
xv
xvi
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
paper mill. The first section of the book covers fundamentals, and the later sections cover more advanced treatments. It is impossible to present so much information on so many diverse areas and supply all of the necessary background in each section without undue duplication. Also, one does not like to burden the novice with details only important to a few investigators. It is appropriate to use the extensive index as the ultimate,
alphabetical guide to this volume to find all of the material available on a particular topic. The author welcomes your comments regarding this book and suggestions for teaching aids. Christopher J. Biermann Oregon State University Oregon, USA