Product Description
This book takes a fresh, student-oriented approach to teaching the material covered in the senior- and first-year graduate-level matrix structural analysis course taken by civil engineering majors.Unlike traditional texts for this course that are difficult to read, Kassimali takes special care to provide understandable and exceptionally clear explanations of concepts, step-by-step procedures for analysis, flowcharts, and interesting and modern examples, producing a technically and mathematically accurate presentation of the subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent text on an important subject.
The best text I have seen on the subject of matrix structural analysis. Matrix structural analysis is often an afterthought in structural engineering texts. The subject matter deserves a dedicated book like this. Provides clear explanations of the algorithms. The book is written at senior undergraudate/first year graduate level. The reader should have a solid foundation in both structural analysis and matrix algebra.

However, the book will not cover topics some big topics of importance:

1. Nonlinear analysis is not covered. Get Chen's "Stability Design of Semi-Rigid Frames" or McGuire's "Matrix Structural Analysis" for nonlinear methods.

2. Still too much emphasis on Guassian Elimination type methods for matrix solvers. This is a horrible way to solve large matrix problems. Little or nothing is ever mentioned about sparse iterative solvers in most matrix structural analysis texts. I only ever use sparse iterative solvers when doing finite element and matrix methods for structures.

Excellent Book
2D and 3D matriz analysis of skeletal structures well described. It is a must for graduate, undergraduate and professional Civil Engineers. I strongly recommend this book for those who are interested in computer applications in strucutral analysis.

No much to say. Just Amazing!
You just need to read it! The way Mr. Kassimali explains the background of the structural analysis using the stiffness matrix method supplied with many examples and flowcharts is simply the best.This book really teaches. A must for structural engineer!

"Hands on" Matrix Analysis of Structures
This book is a must for a structural engineer who wants to have a better understanding of how computers are used to perform structural analysis. The author explains precisely how computers are used to analyze 2D and 3D trusses, beams, frames, and grids in a language a working engineer can understand. This book has the reader participate in the process of understanding matrix analysis of structures by supplying flowcharts and examples that are accurate and easy to understand.

Also, the author discusses the flexibility and stiffness methods as well as finite-element formulation using virtual work to explain matrix structural analysis. And what I like about this book the most is the fact that the author explains in a step-by-step manner precisely how to write and test a working matrix structural analysis program in any computer programming language.

Solution of 2D and 3D Structures
This book solves 2D and 3D structures using Stiffness Method.For the 2D structures, it starts off with trusses, then beams and frames.Next, for the 3D structures, space trusses, space beams i.e. grids and space frames are introduced.Special cases such as pin-jointed members or member releases, temperature and fabrication error effects and support displacements were considered in this book. Usually, a structural stiffness matrix's size is Z x Z where Z is 2 times the number of joints for 2D structures.However, in this book, Kassimali's structural stiffness matrix size is DOF x DOF where DOF is the number of directions a joint can freely move.Thus this reduces computer memory storage. This book also comes with a CD-ROM with 6 programs for solving 2D and 3D trusses, beams and frames. Highly recommended for Structural Engineers wanting to write their own Structural Analysis software using Stiffness Method as good flowcharts are presented in this book. There is only 7 pages on Flexibility method. Special topics and modelling techniques are introduced such as nonprismatic members, semirigid connections, inclined roller supports etc. are presented in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This thought-provoking examination of The Matrix explores the technological challenges, religious symbolism, and philosophical dilemmas the film presents. Essays by renowned scientists, technologists, philosophers, scholars, social commentators, and science fiction authors provide engaging and provocative perspectives. Explored in a highly accessible fashion are issues such as the future of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. The symbolism hidden throughout The Matrix and a few glitches in the film are revealed. Discussions include "Finding God in The Matrix," "The Reality Paradox in The Matrix," and "Was Cypher Right?: Why We Stay in Our Matrix." The fascinating issues posed by the film are handled in an intelligent but nonacademic fashion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Philosophy and the Matrix...
Enjoy the science and philosophy of the first Matrix movie with such greats as Robert J. Sawyer, David Gerrold, and Ray Kurzweil.Chapters on machine intelligence, ethics, and our future.Truly fun and mind expanding if a tad outdated now that the other movies are out.
So, which pill would you take?

Bent covers received twice
Very disappointed to receive this book twice (a replacement) with a very bent cover.Amazon's replacement was no better and was no help.Very disappointing.

Short on Social/Political Commentary
I enjoyed this book. But honestly it could have been better. "The Matrix" is a striking film--in my opinion one of the best movies of the decade. To me, the most gripping thing about the movie is the implicit parallel between the unreality of the parasite-controlled Matrix and the commercially-shaped Matrix of our American culture. What the average joe experiences as reality is a false world. It's a created set of impressions that don't match reality very closely, but do serve the commercial interests that foster them. Like the movie Matrix, the parasitic "matrix" of our time exploits us. It extracts our money, time, and energy to its own ends. The essays in this book were good. But the editor seemed to sidestep any serious commercial or political issues. Maybe he was hesitant to take them on. Or maybe he just didn't get it.

Good and Bad
This is actually a hard book to review because of the essays beign written by many authors.Basically I give this a three because it does not go into great depth.If you have thought about the Matrix while watching you more than likely have an opinion and thoughts on the subjects they write about, for example - Was Cypher right in wanting to be plugged back in?The good part of this book though is that it is a great introduction to some philosophical concepts if one hasn't taken an intro to philosophy course.It does give the background on where the ideas for this movie came from.If you really like this one or don't like it for that matter read The Matrix and Philosophy.This is a good read that goes into a little more depth than this book seems to do.Although everything I have said is not positive I do not want to discourage you from reading this book.

An amazing look at how the Matrix could indeed be real
Every essay in this book will shed new light on the way you view this world. It is so well researched, written, and edited that I'm hard pressed to find another book that I would rate so highly. There are theories presented here that will have you talking to anyone who will listen about the almost unreal possibilities these authors present. They are the top people in their respective fields and were not chosen because they just had cool ideas. They were chosen because they know what they're talking about. I can say this with some authority as one of my good friends is basically 2nd in command at the publishing company. So, do not hesitate to pick up this book and gain unbelievable new insights. ... Read more

Product Description
After spending her youth in the Terran Empire, Margaret Alton returns to Darkover, the planet of her birth. There she discovers she has the Alton Gift--forced rapport and compulsion--one of the strongest and most dangerous of the inherited "Laran" gifts of the telepathic Comyn--the ruling families of Darkover. And even as she struggles to control her newfound powers, Margaret finds herself falling in love with the Regent to the royal Elhalyn Domain, a man she has been forbidden to marry, for their alliance would irrevocably alter the power balance of their planet!. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Not very pleased
After getting introduced to Marion Zimmer Bradley's world through the Mists series, I had dived into the world of Darkover, starting with The Other Side of the Mirror and hopping through the Age of Chaos and the Second Age. After being familiar with the main players, I must say that I am extremely disappointed with this book. The first 300 pages could have been written in less than 100, and I doubt it was necessary to even start the main plot. The dialogues are juvenile and not very well written, and some of the conversation between the two main characters are so embarrassing that it made my face flame. The heroine shows not much character development as her father did in Sharra's Exile, and seems to have almost no flaws, which makes the character aggravating and grating on the nerve. Rather than a respected scholar of a higher educational institution, the heroine simpers like a teenage girl.

The male lead is not much beyond redemption either. There is no defined struggle within him unlike the heroine's father, or the Keeper, or the lead from Stormqueen!. In fact, I read the book twice and I was not entirely sure what his problem was.

All in all, a story not very well thought out. If you are willing to read the book just because it's Darkover, go ahead, but for any entertainment go to something else.

Romeo & Juliet, Darkover-style
On the planet Darkover, some 3900 years hence, a wide variety of psychic gifts, collectively called "laran," exists, and those who have them use "matrix stones," or "starstones," to help them focus their mental energy and turn it to useful ends.Margaret Alton's matrix is unusual, but then so is she--one-quarter Terran through her mother, one-sixteenth through her father, and just returned "home" after spending most of her life offplanet and planning a life as an academic at University, the otherwise-unnamed major higher-learning facility of the Terran Empire.In the process of her return, as chronicled in Exile's Song (Darkover), she experienced an adventure in the "overworld," the Darkovan term for the astral plane, and acquired, embedded into her hand, a matrix that had belonged to a distant ancestor of hers.She also fell in love with Mikhail Lanart-Hastur, whose family has no intention of letting her marry him, though her father, retired Senator Lew Alton, is supportive.Though the training necessary to her survival now that her laran has been awakened is difficult--and often literally painful--for her, she finds that she loves her world deeply.She also knows that she can never leave it, because the embedded "shadow matrix" will make her a lab-rat for the Terrans.

This middle volume of a trilogy follows Margaret and Mikhail, about alternately, as they search for ways to adjust to their positions and tasks, Margaret going first to Arilinn Tower and later to Neskaya to train, while Mikhail, sent by his uncle to test the three sons of the sister of the last (ceremonial) king of the planet for laran, finds himself opposed by a hedge-witch who has somehow gotten possession of a trap-matrix and is using it to tyrannize the entire household of his royal cousins.Even after the witch is neutralized and Margaret finds a compatible training regimen, their troubles aren't over, as in the midst of the Midwinter's Ball they are suddenly psychically summoned to ruined Hali Tower and there drawn into their planet's past, into the perilous Ages of Chaos.Here Mikhail must receive the matrix of Varzil the Good, who unified Darkover under the Compact that outlawed distance weapons (including the mental variety), and the couple must find a way to overcome Padriac El Haliene, a holdout against the Compact, who has assembled a stable of drug-dominated psychics and is using them to mine radioactive materials in hopes of dominating the planet by nuclear blackmail.

Though not fast-moving, this late volume in the beloved Darkover series shows a society beginning to evolve from the medieval model it followed for a thousand years or more, struggling with an often unsympathetic and now destabilizing Terran Empire, and trying to find its own place in that Empire, one newly-powerful faction of which is pressing for an end to its Protected status.Margaret especially is a three-dimensional and interesting character, who often thinks more like a Terran than a Darkovan, yet is trying hard to integrate the two halves of her persona and to forge a new relationship with her father.Mikhail may seem at first somewhat wimpy, but his actions are understandable in light of the power of the clandestine trap-matrix being used against him, and eventually he does succeed in finding the right thing to do and doing it, even though it involves calling on his younger sister, a powerful telepath, for help.I particularly liked the glimpse we get of the Ages of Chaos, in which Bradley heretofore set only two novels (Stormqueen!, A Darkover Novel and Hawkmistress! (Darkover), also available in a unitary edition The Ages of Chaos (Stormqueen! Hawkmistress!)).Though some questions are never fully answered (who or what *was* the Guardian of Halyn Hall, and who fathered Priscilla Elhalyn's five children?), it's not really surprising that in a book this size the author might lose track of a thread or two.Readers will do best to read "Exile's Song" before they tackle this volume (though it's possible to figure out the story without doing so), then go on to Traitor's Sun (Darkover), which picks up Margaret and Mikhail's story some years later.

One of the best of an excellent series.
Marion Zimmer Bradley created the concept of Darkover when she was still in her teens, and began writing stories set in that world while still a raw, unpolished writer. She continued doing so for decades; the earliest were published in the early '60s, I believe, and this one, the second to last written at least mostly by herself, was copyrighted in 1997. (I understand that there were some projects in the works when she died that her protege has completed, in which the concept was at least mostly MZB's, but the actual writing was at least partly filled in by her successor.) Not surprisingly, 30+ years of practice improved her skills as a writer quite a bit, so this is one of the best of a long and very enjoyable series. The plot is quite good, if occasionally a bit slow for those with limited attention spans; the characters are fascinating (that's always been one of MZB's strong suits) and if the proofreading is occasionally a bit sloppy (also a recurring facet of MZB's writing) the writing is otherwise excellent. This is essentially the second of a three-book sub-series, following "Exile's Song" and preceding "Traitor's Sun", and it would probably be ideal to begin with "Exile's Song" before reading this one, but really, this book stands well enough on its own that if you don't read the previous one, it will still be an interesting read, you'll just have to take some of the background on faith.

Highly recommended.

Bradleys greatest work is this TRILOGY
I was so terribly thilled to hear that Marion was starting a new Generation of Darkover charactors..It began with Exiles Song and ends with Traitor's Son... TRULY Great.. all of them and if you like DARKOVER I highly recommend all of the.. this is about the third time I have purchased them... WORE the others out......=0) I hightly recommend these books..

I really freaked when Bradley Passed when Traitors Sun was still In hardcover..Deborah Ross is really good.and I can only pray that after the Clingfire trilogy ( Co-Written with Bradley )she will continue to writeDarkover Books.... Marion Zimmer Bradley was truly great in that she encouraged and helped others to write about her worlds and her characters... She was instremental in helping not only Mercedes Lackey but many others to get a good foothold on the Genre...I truly hope we can look forward to more- MANY moreDARKOVER BOOKS

A fascinating heroine
Margaret Alton is the child of the powerfully psychically gifted Lew Alton, who has been the Senator for Darkover for several years.After a traumatic early childhood, little Margaret lived with her father and stepmother in exile, struggling to overcome her own oppressive Gift without expert Darkovan help, as well as trying to endure what she cannot help sensing of her father, battling his own demons.

This book takes up the story of Margaret, who in Exile's Song returned to the planet of her birth as an ethnomusicologist, accompanied by her beloved professor Ivor Davidson, to collect folk song from the rural places still largely untouched by the Empire.

As this book begins, we find Margaret undergoing the compulsory training in a tower, while Mikhail investigates a suspicious situation in the Elhalyn household, which appears to be haunted, and dominated by a strange woman of unknown origins.Mikhail's handling of the troubled Elhalyn children is touchingly presented, as is his relationship to his sister Liriel.

After much political maneuvering (an annoying but necessary part of these Hastur-era stories) there is the expected midwinter crisis, this one larger than most.

As a bonus, we meet again characters we know well: Jeff Kerwin, Javanne Hastur, Lew Alton, Diotima Ridenow, Mrs Davidson (Ivor's wife), Rafaella the Renunciate, Michael Lanart-Hastur, Danilo Syrtis, and Uncle Rafe, and others.And, as always, the children are delightfully portrayed.Finally, there is travel through time to visit with Varzil the Good, towards the close of the ages of chaos, to learn what happened to the legendary ring in which he preserved the soul of his beloved, Felicia Hastur.

Margaret Alton is a very sympathetic character, especially to those who might relate to music.Her own development is only part of a larger set of events that culminate in the story related in Traitor's Sun.This book is indeed the middle section of a trilogy within the Darkover saga consisting of Exile's Song, Shadow Matrix, and Traitor's Sun, all worth reading.

Archimedes ... Read more

Product Description
Today autism has become highly visible. Once you begin to look for it, you realize it is everywhere. Why? We all know the answer or think we do: there is an autism epidemic. And if it is an epidemic, then we know what must be done: lots of money must be thrown at it, detection centers must be established and explanations sought, so that the number of new cases can be brought down and the epidemic brought under control.

But can it really be so simple? This major new book offers a very different interpretation. The authors argue that the recent rise in autism should be understood an “aftershock” of the real earthquake, which was the deinstitutionalization of mental retardation in the mid-1970s. This entailed a radical transformation not only of the institutional matrix for dealing with developmental disorders of childhood, but also of the cultural lens through which we view them. It opened up a space for viewing and treating childhood disorders as neither mental illness nor mental retardation, neither curable nor incurable, but somewhere in-between. The authors show that where deinstitutionalization went the furthest, as in Scandinavia, UK and the “blue” states of the US, autism rates are also highest. Where it was absent or delayed, as in France, autism rates are low.

Combining a historical narrative with international comparison, The Autism Matrix offers a fresh and powerful analysis of a condition that affects many parents and children today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Autism=Aspergers
This book is a great follow up for other Autism Books discussing the so called epidemic of Autism.There is still a lot of misdiagnosis out there.After all the information and help getting the people through school there is still the problem of gainful employment even for high functioning Autism-Aspergers Syndrome. ... Read more

Product Description
This new, modernized edition provides a clear and thorough introduction to matrix computations,a key component of scientific computing

Retaining the accessible and hands-on style of its predecessor, Fundamentals of Matrix Computations, Third Edition thoroughly details matrix computations and the accompanying theory alongside the author's useful insights. The book presents the most important algorithms of numerical linear algebra and helps readers to understand how the algorithms are developed and why they work.

Along with new and updated examples, the Third Edition features:

• A novel approach to Francis' QR algorithm that explains its properties without reference to the basic QR algorithm

• Application of classical Gram-Schmidt with reorthogonalization

• A revised approach to the derivation of the Golub-Reinsch SVD algorithm

• New coverage on solving product eigenvalue problems

• Expanded treatment of the Jacobi-Davidson method

• A new discussion on stopping criteria for iterative methods for solving linear equations

Throughout the book, numerous new and updated exercises—ranging from routine computations and verifications to challenging programming and proofs—are provided, allowing readers to immediately engage in applying the presented concepts. The new edition also incorporates MATLAB® to solve real-world problems in electrical circuits, mass-spring systems, and simple partial differential equations, and an index of MATLAB® terms assists readers with understanding the basic concepts related to the software.

Fundamentals of Matrix Computations, Third Edition is an excellent book for courses on matrix computations and applied numerical linear algebra at the upper-undergraduate and graduate level. The book is also a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners working in the fields of engineering and computer science who need to know how to solve problems involving matrix computations.

Customer Reviews (4)

Good book for self learners
After looking at a few books on matrix computations I believe that that Fundamentals of Matrix Computations by David S. Watkins does the best job of balancing theory and practice.Being a self learner I found this book easy to read, provided enough practical advice to write high quality algorithms, and provided a good foundation for more advanced subjects.Be sure to at least read through all the exercises since they often cover new material not discussed in the main section. Its worth working through many of the exercises and enough information is provided in general to validate your solution.As a self learner I'm often frustrated with some books that provided exercises but no way to know if you're right or not. I even went on to write a linear algebra library in Java which uses this book as the primary reference for a few of the algorithms, search for EJML if you are curious.

Golub and Van Loan's book covers much more material than Watkins but in a much more terse fashion.By terse I don't mean that Golub/Van Loan's is hard to understand, it is a very good book, but it is terse.I tend to use Golub/Van Loan's book more as a reference if I need to look something up quickly or if the material is not covered else where.There are also some situations important details are not mentioned in that book but are mentioned in Watkins' book.I have also looked though Numerical Linear Algebra by Trefethen and Bau. That book provided a good general high level overview of the basic subjects and in few cases was easier to understand, but I found it on the whole lacking in detail and often did not discuss important implementation issues.

(This review is for the 2nd Edition.I have yet to look at the 3rd.)

Awesome book
I used this book to learn iterative methods and absolutely loved it. The explanations are clear and the coverage of techniques is very comprehensive. The chapters on SVD (see cover illustration) and eigenvalue decomposition are also very well explained. I found it to be engaging and more approachable for a novice than Golub and van Loan (which by the way, you *should* read after reading Watkins :-))

good, but not the best
when i first saw this book, i was very excited. i would have rated it 5 stars at that time. It's a much easier read than Golub's "matrix computations" and Demmel's "Applied Numerical Linear Algebra".

but then I saw Trefethen and Bau's "Numerical Linear Algebra", and I was totally amazed by that book. By comparison, this book by Watkins can only be rated 4 stars. It just doesn't match up to Trefethen's book in terms of elegance, smoothness, intuitiveness, and more importantly, focusing on the essence instead of being buried in the details.

if you are really interested in the topic of matrix computation, I suggest you start with Trefethen's book, and use Golub's book as reference later on.

interesting alternative to golub/van loan
This book is not that famous as the golub/van loan bible but it is morethan competitive. Especially for undergraduate or even graduate studentswho want to become familiar with computational aspects of linear algebrathe bible might be to compact; watkins gives one more help to understandthe main ideas. ... Read more

Product Description
This complete and coherent exposition, complemented by numerous illustrative examples, offers readers a text that can teach by itself. Fully rigorous in its treatment, it offers a mathematically sound sequencing of topics, starting with the most basic laws of matrix algebra and progressing to the sweepout process for obtaining the complete solution of any given system of linear equations, homogeneous or nonhomogeneous, and the role of matrix algebra in the presentation of useful geometric ideas, techniques, and terminology. Other subjects include the complete treatment of the structure of the solution space of a system of linear equations; the most commonly used properties of determinants, and linear operators and linear transformations of coordinates. 1973 ed.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

clear and careful exposition
The definitions and derivations are clear and carefully explained. The text starts with the basics, and moves at a brisk and comfortable pace to quite advanced matrix operations and properties. Quite a lot of numerical examples are given throughout the text as examples/counter-examples to clarify misconceptions and surprising properties of a matrix (such as the presence of divisors of zero). There are a large number of exercises included, and the later ones in a section are usually quite challenging and enlightening; many of them extend the main text substantially without increasing the length of the exposition. Some of the matrix and vector space notations used are dated (circa 1973). But otherwise this is a great text to get up to speed with and to lay a solid foundation for more advanced matrix texts like Gantmacher and Horn/Johnson. ... Read more

Product Description
The workings of the suitable environment for cells—called the extracellular matrix (ECM) and ground regulation—has occupied the European medical tradition since the early part of the 20th century. As it has become more clear that the origin of disease and its first signals register in the connective tissue, or myofascia, cellular pathologists and biochemists have sought to circumscribe networks of cell communication and microcirculation in the ECM.

Alfred Pischinger (1899-1982) continued this line of work by further studying, in work published from 1926 through the late seventies, the connections of the ECM to the hormonal and autonomic systems. In the last twenty years Professor and Doctor of Natural Sciences Hartmut Heine and his colleagues have carried on Pischinger’s work, here summarized in one volume. Part One encompasses theoretical underpinnings; Parts Two and Three address applications and directions for further research.

This updated English-language translation not only is an account of the work of Pischinger’s successors—Heine, Otto Bergsmann, and Felix Perger, (the three editors of this volume) and their many colleagues—but notes the positive development of complementary therapies based on this understanding of histology. Acupuncture is referenced directly. Both in Europe and the States the work of manual therapists, including Rolfers, cranio- sacral therapists, and other somatic disciplines have been informed for many years by Pischinger’s outsider model of how changes in the EMC register in the central nervous system and the brain, and are conveyed back to the periphery and connected organs. Heine’s exciting recent work shows that the regulation and construction of the ECM have relationships to cybernetic non-linear systems and phase transitions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wish I understood
Much to my chagrin, I don't have the science background to be able to easily understand this book.I gave it to my Rolfer who is also a scientist.She thinks it has some interesting and useful points of view.

Paradigm shift
Despite the abundant bibliographic references, which though appropriateand thorough, make for a thicker reading experience, this book is a tour de force that compels one to expand any previous perspectives concerning the meaning of excellent health in the human body.A must for anyone interested in or involved in any healing art. ... Read more

Product Description
Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy helps students and practitioners better understand scientific literature by instilling the essential skills (via the matrix method) needed to critically evaluate article findings. The fundamental principles of searching, organizing, reviewing, and synthesizing are covered at the most basic level. Visual examples and a single case study are woven throughout the text. This easy-to-read and practical reference is an invaluable aid to students, researchers, and practitioners.The Third Edition has been completely revised and updated to reflect the switch out of "paper" mode and into electronic mode. Clinical practice examples and references to PubMed and PubMed Central have been added throughout along with information on reference management softwares such as endnote and refworks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

of limited use for the organized type
the crux of this book - the matrix - is already used by many of us for routine organizational tasks. the book did offer some prompts on important lit review considerations, but the "matrix method" is pretty much common sense

More Than Expected
I ordered my book and it arrived 2 weeks earlier than promises in excellent condition

Excellent Method
This book is excellent for anyone who needs help organizing the myriad of information that comes with research.The method is spelled out step by step with colloquial examples. A must have for any graduate student.

Health Sciences Lit review made easy
I ordered this book but needed a different edition. This was a great book!!! The matrix model is useful for lit reviews in MANY fields!!! I used it for numerous papers and to sum up my research...The Table formatting makes all the information easy to review and succinct! I can look back at my Matrix and remember the articles I read right away from the descriptions. I learned how to format them properly from this book's examples.

highly recomended
Came on time, whold recomend this seller, condition of the bookwas in exact stated condition. A dependable site to make purchases. ... Read more

Product Description

This second edition of a highly successful book is completely revised and updated. It continues to have the same theme, viz., processing, structure, properties, and the performance of ceramic matrix composites. The term ceramic here includes inorganic silica-based glasses, crystalline ceramics, glass-ceramics, intermetallics, and carbon. All of these have the underlying unifying thread that they are all brittle and fairly high temperature materials.

After an introductory chapter, the processing, microstructure, and properties of various ceramic materials, reinforcements, and their composites are described. A separate chapter is devoted to processing of ceramic reinforcements, with a special emphasis on fibers. Processing of ceramic matrix composites is the next chapter, which includes novel techniques such as sol-gel processing and ceramics from polymeric precursors. The next four chapters cover the subjects of interface region in ceramic composites, mechanical and physical properties, and the role of thermal stresses and the important subject of toughness enhancement. Laminated composites made of ceramics are described in a separate chapter. Finally, a chapter is devoted to various applications of ceramic matrix composites. Throughout the text, the underlying relationships between the components of the triad: processing, microstructure, and properties are brought out. An exhaustive list of references and suggested reading is provided.

Ceramic Matrix Composites is aimed at final year undergraduates and first year graduate students in materials science and engineering and related fields. It will also be a valuable source of reference for the practicing engineer or scientist.

Customer Reviews (1)

Good, easy to read textbooks
I read this book as a supplemental textbook for a class I took on composite materials.This is a very good book.It is very easy to read.The text is at a level any engineer can understand, yet there is enough data for practicing composite engineers.There is a wealth of data, and full lists of complete references at the end of every chapter.There are many pictures and diagrams, and they are very easy to interpret and understand.I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The theory of random matrices plays an important role in many areas of pure mathematics and employs a variety of sophisticated mathematical tools (analytical, probabilistic and combinatorial). This diverse array of tools, while attesting to the vitality of the field, presents several formidable obstacles to the newcomer, and even the expert probabilist. This rigorous introduction to the basic theory is sufficiently self-contained to be accessible to graduate students in mathematics or related sciences, who have mastered probability theory at the graduate level, but have not necessarily been exposed to advanced notions of functional analysis, algebra or geometry. Useful background material is collected in the appendices and exercises are also included throughout to test the reader's understanding. Enumerative techniques, stochastic analysis, large deviations, concentration inequalities, disintegration and Lie algebras all are introduced in the text, which will enable readers to approach the research literature with confidence. ... Read more

Product Description
Secrets of World Control, by Jordan Maxwell. Who really runs the world? Who controls the money, the politics, and almost every facet of life without you knowing a thing about it? Is such a thing possible? Maxwell grew up in a family that had high-ranking insiders in international politics and religion, so had access to behind the scenes information that few people could imagine during his early years. This set him off on a lifetime of investigation. He is now considered to be the world ’s foremost authority on ancient religions and modern conspiracies, having appeared on three CBS television specials and countless radio shows. His work on the true meaning of symbols and company insignias is also covered in this highly illustrated book. Explore this fascinating subject with a man who has devoted a lifetime of study to uncovering our "hidden masters." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

An eye opener....
This book like his other book (That old time religion), is very detailed about how our society is run by people without our knowledge right in front of all our faces. Jordan goes into detail showing you where courts, religions, governments, etc, originated from and how the influence society without being seen. The book is a very short read, probably 1-2 nights for the average reader, but get out your highlighter for references later on. This book serves more like a reference and guide, while still illuminating the reader with knowledge that is not suppose to be in the average persons hands. If you have just started your journey in this field of curiosity, than this is a great book to start with, you will not be disappointed. Enjoy.

Good Book if You're Already Familiar With Jordan Maxwell's Work
If you're already familiar with Jordan's work, then this would be a great read for you.There arealot of familiar topics such as secret societies, the fact that all of the problems that we see with the world, may very well be going perfectly according to plan from some people's point of view.If you've seen most of his videos, then there's not much new information to find here, but if you haven't paid to watch them, why not support his work by buying the book anyway.

If you're not already familiary with Jordan's work, then get ready for some homework!A lot of the stuff that he says might cause you to say "no-way" when he talks about politics, religion and government.Your best bet is to take notes and then do your own independent research and then make up your mind.One issue I noticed is that there's a big difference between reading his work and hearing him talk about it.I think there's some important information that gets lost in the written form when compared to his videos.Seeing him give a presentation you can pick up on his emphasis and pronounciation of certain words that you might not notice by just reading it.

I highly recommend this book and I think it would be great if he offered an audiobook version at some point read by him.

MAtrix of Power Book Review
I found this book to have a plethora of information on the hidden linkages between disparate organizations all over the world. There are unfortunately no proof references quoted so one either has to believe or not believe the author's premises. I guess much like we use faith to accept biblical stories.
It is certainly thought provoking and I would recommend it for most people to read.
The readability of the book could be improved by shorter paragraphs and a clearer font, but the diagrams are very helpful and reveal significant relationships.

Mind opening
Read this book.If you don't you have nothing to complain about.After reading this, you will know who is screwing you.You may still be screwed, but at least you know it.

Short and sweet.
This is a great little book that delves into astro-theology as well as occult conspiracies in the western world.The section on astro-theology is excellent and alone is worth the buy. ... Read more

Product Description
Building on the foundations of its predecessor volume, Matrix Analysis, this book treats in detail several topics with important applications and of special mathematical interest in matrix theory not included in the previous text.These topics include the field of values, stable matrices and inertia, singular values, matrix equations and Kronecker products, Hadamard products, and matrices and functions. The authors assume a background in elementary linear algebra and knowledge of rudimentary analytical concepts.This should be welcomed by graduate students and researchers in a variety of mathematical fields and as an advanced text and modern reference book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

This book is perfect for communication engineers
If you are communication engineer and exploring the world of channel estimation, MIMO, etc. and you need to understand the mathematicalapproach, you need this book. The book covers the SVD issue, which is most important for many applications.

Excellent for Matrix Analysis
This book is an excellent reference for researchers in the fields of Matrix Analysis, Numerical Analysis, Theoretical Linear Algebra, etc. I am doing currently some research involving Matrix functions and generalizations of M-matrices and I use this book all the time. Some important features of this book include the facts that 1) it is well-written 2) It is clear 3) It very useful to researchers and graduate students. It is one of those books which you can't stop reading once you start.

the sequel to "Matrix Analysis"
This book is a sequel to, and a worthy successor of, "Matrix Analysis". The latter was directed mostly at methods applicable to solving generic matrix problems. Whereas the present book takes a more focused view. Its topics should be understood as more specialised. Like the case where a matrix might be upper triangular and in positive or non-negative definite form. Or where certain assumptions might be made about a matrix's eigenvalues.

There are some nice theorems proved about the spectral properties of various types of matrices. More to the point, the book has many useful ways to actually find the eigenvalues of such matrices. Where these methods might be more efficient than the generic methods of the earlier book.

A great reference source for advanced matrix analysis
Horn and Johnson's MATRIX ANALYSIS AND TOPICS IN MATRIX ANALYSIS are trueclassics (like Knuth's Art of Computer Programming). You will find classictheorems and lemmas in matrix theory and linear algebra here along withtheir proofs (some of these are not found elsewhere).

TOPICS IN MATRIXANALYSIS contains a lot of stuff including LMI's, Kronecker and Hadamardproducts of matrices and their properties etc. I found this bookindispensible when I was studying Semidefinite Programming.

Both thesebooks are now available in paperback (cost around 30+) dollars each. I haverecently purchased both copies and can only strongly recommend them toanyone else. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a comprehensive survey of matrix perturbation theory, a topic of interest to numerical analysts, statisticians, physical scientists, and engineers. In particular, the authors cover perturbation theory of linear systems and least square problems, the eignevalue problem, and the generalized eignevalue problem as wellas a complete treatment of vector and matrix norms, including the theory of unitary invariant norms. ... Read more

Product Description
Throughout the text, the emphasis is on providing an approach that is accessible to readers equipped with a standard undergraduate toolkit of algebra and analysis. Although the formal prerequisites are kept as low level as possible, the subject matter is sophisticated and contains many of the key themes of the fully developed theory, preparing students for a more standard and abstract course in Lie theory and differential geometry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Find a better introduction
It's about time that some decent attention is being given to matrix groups and Lie theory. I like the range of this book. However, there are better introductions. The main problem with this book is that its prerequisites are extremely unclear and its content is somewhat uneven. For example, it's hardly an undergraduate introduction if it needs a strong foundation in topology and a first reading doesn't seem to really require that or even some of the other concepts introduced. Sometimes when a concept is introduced, a theorem is stated or snatches of theory are brought in, the reader is left hanging without a more thorough contextual explanation or even a proof. For example, it's annoying to see a theorem stated and unproven without further comment and without any reference. The text might even be a little overwhelming for a first year graduate student.It would be difficult to teach a cogent and logically laid out course using the text. There are better introductory texts available now which are far more accessible to the intended audience. The author might want to do a little rewriting using Occam's Razor because it has the potential to be a more thorough intro than that available elsewhere.
On the plus side (more for the SUMS series than for any one book), having answers to the exercises helps the student immeasurably. In my opinion, any math text that has no answers to the exercises belongs to the last century and is either a reflection on the author's lack of industry or a basic fear that students would find little need to attend classes. But at this level of subject, we all know that attendance is directly proportional to the quality of the lecturer, not the quality of the text.

worst binding quality I've ever seen
I've been been reading it for only half an hour so I can't say much about the content of this book,however one thing is clear this book's life is going to be very very very short,in fact I don't think that tomorrow will be in one piece,I'm very disappointed to say the least,I don't understand how springer can produce such a poor quality book
now I could try to glue it wich is a mess or collect the pages as they fall apart and staple them,unfortunately I have to say that this is not a very rare case, cause many Springer paperbacks suffer from similar lack of binding quality

... Read more

Product Description

Character structures underlie everyone’s personality. When rigidly defended, they limit us; yet as they become more flexible, they can reveal sources of animation, renewal and authenticity. 

The Matrix and Meaning of Character guides the reader into an awareness of the archetypal depths that underlie character structures, presenting an original developmental model in which current analytic theories are synthesised. The authors examine nine character structures, animating them with fairy tales, mythic images and case material, creating a bridge between the traditional language of psychopathology and the universal realm of image and symbol.

This book will appeal to all analytical psychologists, psychoanalysts and psychotherapists who want to strengthen their clinical expertise.  It will help clinicians to extend their clinical insights beyond a strictly behavioural, medical or cognitive approach, revealing the potential of the human spirit.

Customer Reviews (6)

A work of insight,scholarship and warmth
Review by Rick Overman, Psy. D.

Dr. Rick Overman isa psychologist and Jungian Analyst practicing in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton Florida. He is a senior training analyst for the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and the President of the Florida Association of Jungian Analysts.

The Little Match Girl, Peter Pan, Blue Beard, Brer Rabbit--what do these timeless characters have to do with your garden variety narcissist, stalking psychopath or annoying passive-aggressive mother-in-law?Utilizing the enduring universal images of myth and fairy tale as guideposts, Jungian Analysts, Daugherty and West, lead us through the complex maze of character development and pathology. By deftly synthesizing Jungian archetypal depth psychology, object relations theory and psychoanalytic self psychology with contemporary neurodevelopmental science, Daugherty and West reveal the maze to be a meaningful matrix and character itself to be a source of healing and transformation.

While the Matrix and Meaning of Character is destined to become a standard text for psychotherapists and analytic training candidates on character from the Jungian point of view, it is written in such a warm, humorous and engaging style that it will likely appeal to the general reader as well. It is woven through with vivid case examples that help illustrate the authors' wise counsel on to how manage treatment difficulties, especially the transference and counter-transference issues that typically arise with the varying character structures.

Highly recommended!

Not only for professionals!
As soon as I began reading The Matrix and Meaning of Character, I could not put it down.Although the book seems obviously directed toward practicing therapists, I found it riveting, and experienced many "aha!" moments.I highly recommend The Matrix and Meaning of Character to anyone seeking illumination and revelations about the core of his or her own behavior.

An Excellant Guide for Therapists
As a Jungian Analyst in private practice and working in a community mental health clinic, I have found Matrix and Meaning to be a great guide for untangling the knots of personality structure. I've used it to gain insight about difficult cases, as well as in the process of supervising other clinicians. Dougherty and West have done a valuable service by drawing together the threads of disparate schools in their discussion of one of the most challenging areas of psychopathology and therapy. As a Jungian, I appreciate their reflections on the archetypal background of character disorder. I also like their well researched presentation of knowledge from neurobiology, developmental psychology, object relations and other psychodynamic approaches. The case studies they provide flesh out the conundrums we so often encounter in disturbed patients and demonstrate how personality disorder can find healing and hopeful solutions. I recommend this book for broadening psychotherapeutic understanding and keep it on my desk as a ready reference. - Alan Friend, Nelson British Columbia

Excellent overview
This is an important book in providing a way of viewing a variety of behaviors and their underlying dynamics. Although I am not a Jungian and do clinical work with diverse populations and problems, I find the principles outlined in this book to be most helpful in organzing my thinking and reactions to the people I encounter professionally.The case histories, stories, and myths lend content and interest, resulting in a sense of increased awareness about the issues and characteristics discussed.In summary, I would describe this book as "illuminating" in terms of giving the clinician insights into him/herself and into the inner workings of the people who are seeking clearer understanding of their own functioning.

Retrieving Self Authenticity - For Individual or Practitioner Alike
This book does a wonderful job of clarifying the exact route(s) to retrieval of individual authenticity as cast through the prism of our character structure formed in the mother-child experience. It is back through these primal prisms of the book's all-inclusive and containing Matrix that we are able to go in order to access the meaningful landscapes of transformation. In this way we restore original relationship with the essence of our authenticity as expressed in the natural patterns of wholeness that result.

Dougherty and West weave a seamless, comprehensive and yet very accessible approach to diagnosis and treatment that flows through an effective and meaningful synthesis of contemporary understanding about transformation anchored in the relationship between ego and our original Self. This work is a foundational classic that rides the crest of the present wave of psychodynamic practice that is now bridging any gaps between the traditions of Freudian Psychoanalysis, Post Freudian Object Relations and Jungian Analysis. The Matrix and Meaning of Character: An Archetypal and Developmental Approach Fabulous!
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Product Description
We're goin in. One more time. And this time we're facing some pretty mean programs. Cynicism, Obfuscation, and Postmodernist despair. Plus the usual obnoxious bunch of totally ruthless Agents, who always insist on Conformity or Deletion. And just in case you were hoping to make it back, they've reconfigured the culture so there are hardly any phone booths left. We're gonna need guns. Lots of guns. ANd an endless supply of logic, humor, disobedience, and argumentative tenacity.The surviving members of the old crew are still on board, along with some new recruits, freshly located, unplugged and debugged. Are you with us?You've already made th choice. Now you have to understand WHY you made it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

my review
I have wanted this book for the longest time and was immediately glad that it was available and at an affordable price. I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed the Matrix 2&3, so having someone prove that there was actually some merit to the movies is very rewarding.

The book itself was again very affordable and wrapped for protection very effectively.

Save your money
This is a sequel to an early book "The Matrix and Philosophy" and like most sequels, its not nearly as good.

The only essay, I thought was really good was Nick Bostrom on whether we are in a Matrix. That one by the way is available to read on his website which is well worth a visit.

Some I felt were trying to hard to push their ideas thought the movie for example one about Islam and the matrix. Well the movie came from the Wachowski brothers both who are Jews although they were certainly influenced by Christian ideals too, I doubt that they know much about Islam. The only reason I can think its the article there is to sell books to Muslims too.

Overall I was most disappointed.

Review : MORE MATRIX AND PHILOSOPHY: REVOLUTIONS AND RELOADED DECODED
[...]

MORE MATRIX AND PHILOSOPHY: REVOLUTIONS AND RELOADED DECODED. If like me you worship The Matrix Trilogy and like me you thought philosophy classes in college were the melted cheese on your favourite hamburger... this book is for you. And be aware that this title is the follow up to the equally good book called THE MATRIX AND PHILOSOPHY: WELCOME TO THE DESERT OF THE REAL both edited by William Irwin.

This book, like the rest of this ever growing collection "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series is a compilation of various essays about the subject matter, exploring the philosophy of The Matrix films under 4 different categories, called scenes. The first scene discusses the Suck-Fest or Success of the sequels, followed with Scene Two in which Freedom and Reality are discussed. Scene Three applies to the religious aspects of the films, including Vedanta, Islam, Christianity, faith and messianic symbolism. While Scene Four delves into the social political aspects of the trilogy, including race and violence.

So the book is 216 pages long, so with 16 essays, an intro and an epilogue, it doesn't leave much room to go hardcore with all the varying aspects of the Matrix Films. But what I love about this series is that they give you enough information to want to pursue it even more. So far I've read 3 books from this series.

* Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale
* The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real
* More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded


All three were quite fascinating and gripping books to read. The newbie philosophy amateur will be very comfortable reading about philosophy especially when they refer to popular culture icons such as Neo and Morpheus or Buffy. The writers, for the most part, make their arguments accessible to the novice and still grasp onto more advanced ideas which the novice could easily look up on the web or by reading other books, the many books mentioned by the essayists. And thankfully they, with the exception of Sphincter-boy Slavoj Zizek, make you like philosophy and get you interested to just how deep the rabbit hole does go.

Speaking of Sphincter-Boy, I'll dedicate a paragraph to him but mostly to the editor... Slavoj Zizek wrote the final essay of this book and just slaps the Matrix Fans around like we are all idiots.

I had a unique opportunity of sitting close to the ideal spectator of the film -- namely an idiot.
-- Slavoj Zizek (More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (paperback), Reloaded Revolutions, p.199)


Not only does he begin by insulting the fans of the series, but also the readers of this very book. I didn't purchase this book to get called an idiot. Not only that but he lacks to make the effort to write a new essay, since this paragraph can be found in his other essay, the first paragraph of The Matrix: Or, The Two Sides of Perversion (The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (Paperback) p.240). I often complain that philosophers can hardly come up with original thought because they to often cite material over and over again written by other, perhaps greater philosophers. But to plagiarise one's own writing is an act of laziness unfitting of a writer and or a philosopher.

So I ask William Irwin, why Mr. Irwin, why, why, why, why did you allow him to write the final essay again? The final essay that was like having to pull out just before orgasm. Just completely ruined the entire satisfaction I was having reading this book. And just like the first book, I was robbed of my Jouissance, to use a word that Zizek abused during his mockery. After reading his essay, I was frustrated. I was made to feel like an imbecile for appreciating The Matrix trilogy, I was made to feel like a cretin for enjoying and reading the very books you exquisitely edited. Also to add that whenever someone denigrates readers, especially on philosophy which many don't want to read, it won't attract the lay-people to this type of critical thought, because no one likes to feel like an idiot.

One thing is for sure, I won't be picking up books by Zizek anytime soon. I don't give my hard-earned money to get treated like a dick by some would be philosopher who can't even address an issue without referring to its supporters as idiots.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-Aristotle



Despite getting an Intellectual Bobbit Job at the end I give this book a 4 outta 5

The Matrix -21st century religion at its best.!
I am working on my Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences. Of course, I must do general course work in philosophy, psychology etc. My area of expertise is copyright infringment - movie piracy. This book has will be very beneficial in my course work. I only hope my finished work will be as good as this!

Yes You CAN Be Told What The Matrix IS
...after, of course, you see it for yourself.

The second book on the subject compiled by William Irwin, More Matrix & Philosophy is more carefully crafted, passionate and brilliant writings on The Matrix trilogy and the films' place in both popular culture and philosophical debate.

Irwin brings together an array of different -- and often conflicting -- voices in both this volume and the original book. You won't agree with all of the writer's opinions, but they'll all make you think.

And of course, inspired thought is what The Matrix trilogoy is all about, to those of us who know the films contain more than slick action sequences and cool costumes.

Irwin's newest book is further proof that we are not alone. We, The Matrixheads, are not the only ones lying awake at night thinking of these films' broader implications, and here are sixteen essays that prove it.

Go ahead, read the book. But I warn you: all Irwin offers is the truth. All 16 versions of it. Can you handle it, a bit further down the rabbit hole? ... Read more

Product Description
Matrix Analysis for Scientists and Engineers provides a blend of undergraduate- and graduate-level topics in matrix theory and linear algebra that relieves instructors of the burden of reviewing such material in subsequent courses that depend heavily on the language of matrices. Consequently, the text provides an often-needed bridge between undergraduate-level matrix theory and linear algebra and the level of matrix analysis required for graduate-level study and research. The text is sufficiently compact that the material can be taught comfortably in a one-quarter or one-semester course. Throughout the book, the author emphasizes the concept of matrix factorization to provide a foundation for a later course in numerical linear algebra. The author addresses connections to differential and difference equations as well as to linear system theory and encourages instructors to augment these examples with other applications of their own choosing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

All you need and exactly that
This book has exactly what you need to know to understand tools in signal processing and data analysis based on matrix computation. There is nothing frivolous, which is something I really appreciate.

Quick delivery
I received the book within a week of my order.
Book was new and in good condition.
Only packing was not that great causing the back cover to be slightly damaged.

A great review of Linear Algebra
A good review of the main topics in linear algebra.Succinct and to the point.It is good as a reference, but if you are looking for an introduction, please read Strang's books on the topic.

good second course linear algebra
This book covers all the useful material that you probably didn't get to in your first linear algebra course -- pseudo inverses, SVD, etc.Moves quickly, but not too quickly.Good balance of theory and application. ... Read more

Product Description
The field of structural analysis has experienced profound change in the past three decades. This book presents a rigorous, concise development of the concepts of modern matrix structural analysis with emphasis on techniques and methods which are the basis for the Finite Element Method. The material is presented in a traditional manner. Basic analytical tools set the groundwork for understanding more complex concepts. Meaningful examples which illustrate the underlying theories and procedures are provided throughout the text, presented in a step-by-step format to promote understanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book for reviewing concepts
I found it useful for reviewing concepts of matrix structural analysis. ... Read more