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Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
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 Customer Reviews
Rather incomplete., 17 Jul 1999
I found this book to be rather unsatisfactory. I realize this is an APPLIED thermodynamics book intended for chemical engineers, but I still think it wholly incomprehensive. NOWHERE in the book is there even a sentence regarding the themodynamics of chemical reactions. Aren't chemical reactions important to the engineers performing them? Also, the majority of the mathematics behind all of the derivations is not included. Example: "for a throttle, dH=0." I realize this is somewhat intuitive, but mention could at least be made of the reasoning behind it, guys (and preferrably more than one paragraph).
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Customer Reviews
Rather incomplete., 17 Jul 1999
I found this book to be rather unsatisfactory. I realize this is an APPLIED thermodynamics book intended for chemical engineers, but I still think it wholly incomprehensive. NOWHERE in the book is there even a sentence regarding the themodynamics of chemical reactions. Aren't chemical reactions important to the engineers performing them? Also, the majority of the mathematics behind all of the derivations is not included. Example: "for a throttle, dH=0." I realize this is somewhat intuitive, but mention could at least be made of the reasoning behind it, guys (and preferrably more than one paragraph). the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, 30 Dec 2000
the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, full of useful information, a genuine help once you leave university. buy the hardback it will survive the abuse better. Hard copy virtues with new features, but more could be done., 12 Dec 2000
All chemical engineers are familiar with Perry's handbook. The CD-ROM version brings all the information and wisdom of the paper version to your computer, with the added benefit of comprehensive and powerful searching tools. Like reviewers of the hard copy, I'd give the contents part 5 stars. The searching capability and hyperlink facilities are a boon - worth 5 stars on their own. The "active" features are less impressive. Some active figures are graphs linked to the Activ8 programme. When you double click the object, this programme produces a new window with a dialogue box which can read the cursor position to you when it's over the graph. You can use this to copy and paste data. Other figures bring up just an image and the image is less clear than the original document! Active tables work in a similar way, and some allow for interpolation between tabulated values. If you copy and paste, the whole table is pasted, whereas I would have preferred to have been able to select some cells of interest and just paste them. I had thought the package also gave active formulae, a bit like a Mathcad worksheet or a spreadsheet perhaps, but there are none in this version despite the tempting claim on the box "On-screen problem-solving: tables, graphs, calculations". So, only 3 stars for the active bit. The book is still very much an American one, and SI units are treated as second best. In fact, the book has an amazing variety of mixed units due to the many contributors .... but we chemical engineers are used to that, I suppose. It would be better for most engineers of today if it catered for SI units better. At least please provide an active units converter! How about the one called "Universal Units Converter" by Sarah Hanson, available free on the IChemE web site? 2 stars for that part. The part I like least is the license agreement. I work with a number of colleagues, and the paper versions of our textbooks are passed around as needed and still spend most of their lives on the shelves. However you can only read this CD "book" at one desk, as the license restricts installation to one computer only. Clearly the manufacturer wants to prevent one copy from supplying the needs of a multi-national corporation, and for these users, multi-user and LAN licenses are available, which is fine. But restricting the single user license to one PC is an unnecessary nuisance. By all means forbid copying the CD, but please let us pass the CD between colleagues. Only 1 star for that, I'm afraid. Overall? I'd still rate it 4 stars as it's just so useful in this electronic form. We metric engineers have long coped with Perry in US units, and we never had anything active before, so the current offering is better than before if a little disappointing. The license problem can be lived with - our office copy is now on a spare PC for all to use - I just think it's annoying. Hopefully future versions will build on this, and I hope that updates will not be full cost to owners of this version. Given these, it might be worth 6 stars! I'll not bother with my paper copies of Perry again!
We always say "You'll find it in Perry's", 06 Dec 2000
Quite simply the Chemical Engineer's Bible - a reference book you simply cannot afford to be without. Worth every penny, franc or cent!
Best book out there, 10 Feb 2000
It is the definitive book for Chemical Engineers, if only it had some harder maths in it would be worth the dosh.
The harder the better., 24 Sep 1999
Worth every penny of the extra cost, the durability of the hardback edition makes it invaluable as one's sole companion on those lonely desert, jungle or offshore postings. A seminal experience.
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Customer Reviews
Rather incomplete., 17 Jul 1999
I found this book to be rather unsatisfactory. I realize this is an APPLIED thermodynamics book intended for chemical engineers, but I still think it wholly incomprehensive. NOWHERE in the book is there even a sentence regarding the themodynamics of chemical reactions. Aren't chemical reactions important to the engineers performing them? Also, the majority of the mathematics behind all of the derivations is not included. Example: "for a throttle, dH=0." I realize this is somewhat intuitive, but mention could at least be made of the reasoning behind it, guys (and preferrably more than one paragraph). the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, 30 Dec 2000
the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, full of useful information, a genuine help once you leave university. buy the hardback it will survive the abuse better. Hard copy virtues with new features, but more could be done., 12 Dec 2000
All chemical engineers are familiar with Perry's handbook. The CD-ROM version brings all the information and wisdom of the paper version to your computer, with the added benefit of comprehensive and powerful searching tools. Like reviewers of the hard copy, I'd give the contents part 5 stars. The searching capability and hyperlink facilities are a boon - worth 5 stars on their own. The "active" features are less impressive. Some active figures are graphs linked to the Activ8 programme. When you double click the object, this programme produces a new window with a dialogue box which can read the cursor position to you when it's over the graph. You can use this to copy and paste data. Other figures bring up just an image and the image is less clear than the original document! Active tables work in a similar way, and some allow for interpolation between tabulated values. If you copy and paste, the whole table is pasted, whereas I would have preferred to have been able to select some cells of interest and just paste them. I had thought the package also gave active formulae, a bit like a Mathcad worksheet or a spreadsheet perhaps, but there are none in this version despite the tempting claim on the box "On-screen problem-solving: tables, graphs, calculations". So, only 3 stars for the active bit. The book is still very much an American one, and SI units are treated as second best. In fact, the book has an amazing variety of mixed units due to the many contributors .... but we chemical engineers are used to that, I suppose. It would be better for most engineers of today if it catered for SI units better. At least please provide an active units converter! How about the one called "Universal Units Converter" by Sarah Hanson, available free on the IChemE web site? 2 stars for that part. The part I like least is the license agreement. I work with a number of colleagues, and the paper versions of our textbooks are passed around as needed and still spend most of their lives on the shelves. However you can only read this CD "book" at one desk, as the license restricts installation to one computer only. Clearly the manufacturer wants to prevent one copy from supplying the needs of a multi-national corporation, and for these users, multi-user and LAN licenses are available, which is fine. But restricting the single user license to one PC is an unnecessary nuisance. By all means forbid copying the CD, but please let us pass the CD between colleagues. Only 1 star for that, I'm afraid. Overall? I'd still rate it 4 stars as it's just so useful in this electronic form. We metric engineers have long coped with Perry in US units, and we never had anything active before, so the current offering is better than before if a little disappointing. The license problem can be lived with - our office copy is now on a spare PC for all to use - I just think it's annoying. Hopefully future versions will build on this, and I hope that updates will not be full cost to owners of this version. Given these, it might be worth 6 stars! I'll not bother with my paper copies of Perry again!
We always say "You'll find it in Perry's", 06 Dec 2000
Quite simply the Chemical Engineer's Bible - a reference book you simply cannot afford to be without. Worth every penny, franc or cent!
Best book out there, 10 Feb 2000
It is the definitive book for Chemical Engineers, if only it had some harder maths in it would be worth the dosh.
The harder the better., 24 Sep 1999
Worth every penny of the extra cost, the durability of the hardback edition makes it invaluable as one's sole companion on those lonely desert, jungle or offshore postings. A seminal experience.
AMAZING =), 15 Feb 2007
I had read some of the reviews that other people had posted on this website and was a bit dubious to how good thew book was as many mentioned having to use additional notes. However although i did have additional notes for the last couple of days before my Jan 2007 exam on Module 1 i used only this book and feel like i should easily get an A/B in the exam. Although i know of people of lesser ability in the class who felt the book was not as good at explaining things they needed to learn, for anyone like me who knows their stuff already and is just looking for a quick brain refresher this is an AMAZING book 11 out of 10.
By the way just got my results 15/03/2007 and i got an A: 100 out of 105. And i would largely put it down to this book... happy revising
A useful study aid, 25 Jan 2006
I have just taken the AS module four exam and for the first time have used one of the Collins biology module guides for assistance in my revision. If you are deciding whether or not to purchase one I would very much advise you to go ahead and do so, as it contains all the topics that will be tested upon in the exam. However, I do suggest that you use it in conjunction with your notes as there are a few discrepancies which may be confusing if not spotted early. Also there are sections such as on the kidneys and eyes that are quite brief and so it is important to refer to your notes. Overall it is a very simplified view on the topics and allows you to grasp the basic concepts that run throughout the module.
Good, but BEWARE OF MISTAKES, 10 Jan 2006
I have used this book and the previous books in this serious for my AS and A2 examinations this year and have found them to be very useful. HOWEVER there are several mistakes that have come to my attention. For example the book proudly states that the resting potential is achieved by more potassium ion moving out than sodium ions moving in. This is of course WRONG as the resting potential is achieved by more SODIUM ions moving OUT than POTASSIUM ions moving IN! For this alone I am giving this book 3 stars.
One word - essential, 14 Dec 2005
My result for this unit was 88/90 and I based my revision around this book. I recommend using it in conjunction with a more detailed textbook, Longmans AS biology perhaps. This book and the others in the series are a must for this course though - buy it, you'll do well!
This book is essential!, 27 Oct 2005
This book is amazing. I did the AQA syllabus for my Biology A Level, and I used this book and this book alone to revise for my exam (no notes, no big textbook, nothing else) and I got 94% for the module. The only trick to this book is that every sentence is something you need to know and memorise - whereas in the main book, there is lots of unnecessary background information that you can ignore or forget. I found this particularly useful - you don't waste time revising things that you're not sure you need to know or not from the main book. This doesn't mean that the revision book is hard to understand, either; everything is explained very clearly and in the unlikely event you do get stuck, you can always consult the main course textbook. If you memorise all the material in this book you are guaranteed a (very high) A grade - it misses nothing out. I'd also strongly recommend getting the revision books for the other modules, like I said, I only used the revision books to revise (with the exception of the last optional module that didn't have a revision book) and I got high As in all modules. Originally I didn't feel they were that important, so did the first module just from the main book - I got a C first time around, then for my resit bought the revision book and got the A. For the sake of five pounds it's really, really worth getting these books, I can't stress how good they are.
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Customer Reviews
Rather incomplete., 17 Jul 1999
I found this book to be rather unsatisfactory. I realize this is an APPLIED thermodynamics book intended for chemical engineers, but I still think it wholly incomprehensive. NOWHERE in the book is there even a sentence regarding the themodynamics of chemical reactions. Aren't chemical reactions important to the engineers performing them? Also, the majority of the mathematics behind all of the derivations is not included. Example: "for a throttle, dH=0." I realize this is somewhat intuitive, but mention could at least be made of the reasoning behind it, guys (and preferrably more than one paragraph). the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, 30 Dec 2000
the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, full of useful information, a genuine help once you leave university. buy the hardback it will survive the abuse better. Hard copy virtues with new features, but more could be done., 12 Dec 2000
All chemical engineers are familiar with Perry's handbook. The CD-ROM version brings all the information and wisdom of the paper version to your computer, with the added benefit of comprehensive and powerful searching tools. Like reviewers of the hard copy, I'd give the contents part 5 stars. The searching capability and hyperlink facilities are a boon - worth 5 stars on their own. The "active" features are less impressive. Some active figures are graphs linked to the Activ8 programme. When you double click the object, this programme produces a new window with a dialogue box which can read the cursor position to you when it's over the graph. You can use this to copy and paste data. Other figures bring up just an image and the image is less clear than the original document! Active tables work in a similar way, and some allow for interpolation between tabulated values. If you copy and paste, the whole table is pasted, whereas I would have preferred to have been able to select some cells of interest and just paste them. I had thought the package also gave active formulae, a bit like a Mathcad worksheet or a spreadsheet perhaps, but there are none in this version despite the tempting claim on the box "On-screen problem-solving: tables, graphs, calculations". So, only 3 stars for the active bit. The book is still very much an American one, and SI units are treated as second best. In fact, the book has an amazing variety of mixed units due to the many contributors .... but we chemical engineers are used to that, I suppose. It would be better for most engineers of today if it catered for SI units better. At least please provide an active units converter! How about the one called "Universal Units Converter" by Sarah Hanson, available free on the IChemE web site? 2 stars for that part. The part I like least is the license agreement. I work with a number of colleagues, and the paper versions of our textbooks are passed around as needed and still spend most of their lives on the shelves. However you can only read this CD "book" at one desk, as the license restricts installation to one computer only. Clearly the manufacturer wants to prevent one copy from supplying the needs of a multi-national corporation, and for these users, multi-user and LAN licenses are available, which is fine. But restricting the single user license to one PC is an unnecessary nuisance. By all means forbid copying the CD, but please let us pass the CD between colleagues. Only 1 star for that, I'm afraid. Overall? I'd still rate it 4 stars as it's just so useful in this electronic form. We metric engineers have long coped with Perry in US units, and we never had anything active before, so the current offering is better than before if a little disappointing. The license problem can be lived with - our office copy is now on a spare PC for all to use - I just think it's annoying. Hopefully future versions will build on this, and I hope that updates will not be full cost to owners of this version. Given these, it might be worth 6 stars! I'll not bother with my paper copies of Perry again!
We always say "You'll find it in Perry's", 06 Dec 2000
Quite simply the Chemical Engineer's Bible - a reference book you simply cannot afford to be without. Worth every penny, franc or cent!
Best book out there, 10 Feb 2000
It is the definitive book for Chemical Engineers, if only it had some harder maths in it would be worth the dosh.
The harder the better., 24 Sep 1999
Worth every penny of the extra cost, the durability of the hardback edition makes it invaluable as one's sole companion on those lonely desert, jungle or offshore postings. A seminal experience.
AMAZING =), 15 Feb 2007
I had read some of the reviews that other people had posted on this website and was a bit dubious to how good thew book was as many mentioned having to use additional notes. However although i did have additional notes for the last couple of days before my Jan 2007 exam on Module 1 i used only this book and feel like i should easily get an A/B in the exam. Although i know of people of lesser ability in the class who felt the book was not as good at explaining things they needed to learn, for anyone like me who knows their stuff already and is just looking for a quick brain refresher this is an AMAZING book 11 out of 10.
By the way just got my results 15/03/2007 and i got an A: 100 out of 105. And i would largely put it down to this book... happy revising
A useful study aid, 25 Jan 2006
I have just taken the AS module four exam and for the first time have used one of the Collins biology module guides for assistance in my revision. If you are deciding whether or not to purchase one I would very much advise you to go ahead and do so, as it contains all the topics that will be tested upon in the exam. However, I do suggest that you use it in conjunction with your notes as there are a few discrepancies which may be confusing if not spotted early. Also there are sections such as on the kidneys and eyes that are quite brief and so it is important to refer to your notes. Overall it is a very simplified view on the topics and allows you to grasp the basic concepts that run throughout the module.
Good, but BEWARE OF MISTAKES, 10 Jan 2006
I have used this book and the previous books in this serious for my AS and A2 examinations this year and have found them to be very useful. HOWEVER there are several mistakes that have come to my attention. For example the book proudly states that the resting potential is achieved by more potassium ion moving out than sodium ions moving in. This is of course WRONG as the resting potential is achieved by more SODIUM ions moving OUT than POTASSIUM ions moving IN! For this alone I am giving this book 3 stars.
One word - essential, 14 Dec 2005
My result for this unit was 88/90 and I based my revision around this book. I recommend using it in conjunction with a more detailed textbook, Longmans AS biology perhaps. This book and the others in the series are a must for this course though - buy it, you'll do well!
This book is essential!, 27 Oct 2005
This book is amazing. I did the AQA syllabus for my Biology A Level, and I used this book and this book alone to revise for my exam (no notes, no big textbook, nothing else) and I got 94% for the module. The only trick to this book is that every sentence is something you need to know and memorise - whereas in the main book, there is lots of unnecessary background information that you can ignore or forget. I found this particularly useful - you don't waste time revising things that you're not sure you need to know or not from the main book. This doesn't mean that the revision book is hard to understand, either; everything is explained very clearly and in the unlikely event you do get stuck, you can always consult the main course textbook. If you memorise all the material in this book you are guaranteed a (very high) A grade - it misses nothing out. I'd also strongly recommend getting the revision books for the other modules, like I said, I only used the revision books to revise (with the exception of the last optional module that didn't have a revision book) and I got high As in all modules. Originally I didn't feel they were that important, so did the first module just from the main book - I got a C first time around, then for my resit bought the revision book and got the A. For the sake of five pounds it's really, really worth getting these books, I can't stress how good they are.
Excellent: clear and useful., 12 Dec 2007
I've only just bought this book but already it's incredibly useful. Everything is set out well and the text is clear, so that you understand every step of a calculation. Solutions to the given problems are fully explained.
The tone is excellent - far less dry than many textbooks. There's even a Buzz Lightyear quote in there. The book and accompanying CD-ROM also include information about the real world and how the theoretical work covered in the text applies to actual engineering.
I definitely recommend this textbook to anyone doing reaction engineering, particularly if you're having trouble grasping the subject.
A great buy for any serious chemical enginering student, 01 Nov 2000
Well thought out and put together, Fogler introduces the basic concepts first and gradually builds up to more advanced topics. Structured very well with lots of problems to help creative thinking.
Even for a duch student it is easy to understand, 26 Dec 1999
This book is used for several (duch)classes in Amsterdam. I can say that, even in English, it is very helpfull for solving problems in chemical engeneering.
Simply excellent!, 03 Apr 1998
This book is so well presented it's simply a dream. Fogler makes learning this stuff (which is pretty hard) really easy. The book is very logical and easy to follow. It covers practically all aspects of reaction kinetics and reactor design. It's an absolute must for any Chemical Engineer who has to pass exams!
The most lucid chemical engineering book there is, 20 Jun 1997
This is probably the best book you will find in chemical engineering. It is very well-written and concisely explains the basics of reactor engineering. This book is a necessity for a chemical engineer for its ability to elucidate the important concepts of kinetics.
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Customer Reviews
Rather incomplete., 17 Jul 1999
I found this book to be rather unsatisfactory. I realize this is an APPLIED thermodynamics book intended for chemical engineers, but I still think it wholly incomprehensive. NOWHERE in the book is there even a sentence regarding the themodynamics of chemical reactions. Aren't chemical reactions important to the engineers performing them? Also, the majority of the mathematics behind all of the derivations is not included. Example: "for a throttle, dH=0." I realize this is somewhat intuitive, but mention could at least be made of the reasoning behind it, guys (and preferrably more than one paragraph). the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, 30 Dec 2000
the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, full of useful information, a genuine help once you leave university. buy the hardback it will survive the abuse better. Hard copy virtues with new features, but more could be done., 12 Dec 2000
All chemical engineers are familiar with Perry's handbook. The CD-ROM version brings all the information and wisdom of the paper version to your computer, with the added benefit of comprehensive and powerful searching tools. Like reviewers of the hard copy, I'd give the contents part 5 stars. The searching capability and hyperlink facilities are a boon - worth 5 stars on their own. The "active" features are less impressive. Some active figures are graphs linked to the Activ8 programme. When you double click the object, this programme produces a new window with a dialogue box which can read the cursor position to you when it's over the graph. You can use this to copy and paste data. Other figures bring up just an image and the image is less clear than the original document! Active tables work in a similar way, and some allow for interpolation between tabulated values. If you copy and paste, the whole table is pasted, whereas I would have preferred to have been able to select some cells of interest and just paste them. I had thought the package also gave active formulae, a bit like a Mathcad worksheet or a spreadsheet perhaps, but there are none in this version despite the tempting claim on the box "On-screen problem-solving: tables, graphs, calculations". So, only 3 stars for the active bit. The book is still very much an American one, and SI units are treated as second best. In fact, the book has an amazing variety of mixed units due to the many contributors .... but we chemical engineers are used to that, I suppose. It would be better for most engineers of today if it catered for SI units better. At least please provide an active units converter! How about the one called "Universal Units Converter" by Sarah Hanson, available free on the IChemE web site? 2 stars for that part. The part I like least is the license agreement. I work with a number of colleagues, and the paper versions of our textbooks are passed around as needed and still spend most of their lives on the shelves. However you can only read this CD "book" at one desk, as the license restricts installation to one computer only. Clearly the manufacturer wants to prevent one copy from supplying the needs of a multi-national corporation, and for these users, multi-user and LAN licenses are available, which is fine. But restricting the single user license to one PC is an unnecessary nuisance. By all means forbid copying the CD, but please let us pass the CD between colleagues. Only 1 star for that, I'm afraid. Overall? I'd still rate it 4 stars as it's just so useful in this electronic form. We metric engineers have long coped with Perry in US units, and we never had anything active before, so the current offering is better than before if a little disappointing. The license problem can be lived with - our office copy is now on a spare PC for all to use - I just think it's annoying. Hopefully future versions will build on this, and I hope that updates will not be full cost to owners of this version. Given these, it might be worth 6 stars! I'll not bother with my paper copies of Perry again!
We always say "You'll find it in Perry's", 06 Dec 2000
Quite simply the Chemical Engineer's Bible - a reference book you simply cannot afford to be without. Worth every penny, franc or cent!
Best book out there, 10 Feb 2000
It is the definitive book for Chemical Engineers, if only it had some harder maths in it would be worth the dosh.
The harder the better., 24 Sep 1999
Worth every penny of the extra cost, the durability of the hardback edition makes it invaluable as one's sole companion on those lonely desert, jungle or offshore postings. A seminal experience.
AMAZING =), 15 Feb 2007
I had read some of the reviews that other people had posted on this website and was a bit dubious to how good thew book was as many mentioned having to use additional notes. However although i did have additional notes for the last couple of days before my Jan 2007 exam on Module 1 i used only this book and feel like i should easily get an A/B in the exam. Although i know of people of lesser ability in the class who felt the book was not as good at explaining things they needed to learn, for anyone like me who knows their stuff already and is just looking for a quick brain refresher this is an AMAZING book 11 out of 10.
By the way just got my results 15/03/2007 and i got an A: 100 out of 105. And i would largely put it down to this book... happy revising
A useful study aid, 25 Jan 2006
I have just taken the AS module four exam and for the first time have used one of the Collins biology module guides for assistance in my revision. If you are deciding whether or not to purchase one I would very much advise you to go ahead and do so, as it contains all the topics that will be tested upon in the exam. However, I do suggest that you use it in conjunction with your notes as there are a few discrepancies which may be confusing if not spotted early. Also there are sections such as on the kidneys and eyes that are quite brief and so it is important to refer to your notes. Overall it is a very simplified view on the topics and allows you to grasp the basic concepts that run throughout the module.
Good, but BEWARE OF MISTAKES, 10 Jan 2006
I have used this book and the previous books in this serious for my AS and A2 examinations this year and have found them to be very useful. HOWEVER there are several mistakes that have come to my attention. For example the book proudly states that the resting potential is achieved by more potassium ion moving out than sodium ions moving in. This is of course WRONG as the resting potential is achieved by more SODIUM ions moving OUT than POTASSIUM ions moving IN! For this alone I am giving this book 3 stars.
One word - essential, 14 Dec 2005
My result for this unit was 88/90 and I based my revision around this book. I recommend using it in conjunction with a more detailed textbook, Longmans AS biology perhaps. This book and the others in the series are a must for this course though - buy it, you'll do well!
This book is essential!, 27 Oct 2005
This book is amazing. I did the AQA syllabus for my Biology A Level, and I used this book and this book alone to revise for my exam (no notes, no big textbook, nothing else) and I got 94% for the module. The only trick to this book is that every sentence is something you need to know and memorise - whereas in the main book, there is lots of unnecessary background information that you can ignore or forget. I found this particularly useful - you don't waste time revising things that you're not sure you need to know or not from the main book. This doesn't mean that the revision book is hard to understand, either; everything is explained very clearly and in the unlikely event you do get stuck, you can always consult the main course textbook. If you memorise all the material in this book you are guaranteed a (very high) A grade - it misses nothing out. I'd also strongly recommend getting the revision books for the other modules, like I said, I only used the revision books to revise (with the exception of the last optional module that didn't have a revision book) and I got high As in all modules. Originally I didn't feel they were that important, so did the first module just from the main book - I got a C first time around, then for my resit bought the revision book and got the A. For the sake of five pounds it's really, really worth getting these books, I can't stress how good they are.
Excellent: clear and useful., 12 Dec 2007
I've only just bought this book but already it's incredibly useful. Everything is set out well and the text is clear, so that you understand every step of a calculation. Solutions to the given problems are fully explained.
The tone is excellent - far less dry than many textbooks. There's even a Buzz Lightyear quote in there. The book and accompanying CD-ROM also include information about the real world and how the theoretical work covered in the text applies to actual engineering.
I definitely recommend this textbook to anyone doing reaction engineering, particularly if you're having trouble grasping the subject.
A great buy for any serious chemical enginering student, 01 Nov 2000
Well thought out and put together, Fogler introduces the basic concepts first and gradually builds up to more advanced topics. Structured very well with lots of problems to help creative thinking.
Even for a duch student it is easy to understand, 26 Dec 1999
This book is used for several (duch)classes in Amsterdam. I can say that, even in English, it is very helpfull for solving problems in chemical engeneering.
Simply excellent!, 03 Apr 1998
This book is so well presented it's simply a dream. Fogler makes learning this stuff (which is pretty hard) really easy. The book is very logical and easy to follow. It covers practically all aspects of reaction kinetics and reactor design. It's an absolute must for any Chemical Engineer who has to pass exams!
The most lucid chemical engineering book there is, 20 Jun 1997
This is probably the best book you will find in chemical engineering. It is very well-written and concisely explains the basics of reactor engineering. This book is a necessity for a chemical engineer for its ability to elucidate the important concepts of kinetics.
Not scientific or truthful, 13 Nov 2008
Mr Taverne, who many years ago might be experienced as a freedom -loving democratic socialist ,has tried to find the paradigm behind the ecological and environmental movements of today. In an extraordinarily interesting part of his book he tries to find this in the person of Rudolf Steiner(1861-1925) founder of biodynamic agriculture anthroposophical medecine and steiner education, whose london centre is in Park Rd NW1.This seems to me unusual, since Steiners work seems not very well known in Britain except superficially. BUT......
Far from Steiner being unscientific or inclined to vague anti -scientific notions ( which may indeed infect some of the enthusiasts Taverne lambasts) he was in every way extremely scientific in the true sense; even writing books on epistemology and later extending the scientific sense to the spiritual world as well as that of the senses.
Taverne may not know this or doubt it and feel justified in lumping Steiner with what he considers unscientific dreaming;, even he may consider him the source of it .I strongly disagree but he is entitled to his opinion.He even can imply that some Nazis were given to this sort of enthusiasm and unscientific ideas.
But it is really a terrible slur to imply that in some way Anthroposophy is the source of Nazism. almost like blaming Lincoln for the death of John Wilkes Booth . ( I cannot quite find a good analogy) In other words anthroposophy is TOTALY OPPOSED to racism and the idea of "racial thought." In fact it proclaims free thought which comes from the individual spirit and is not tied to race business war or ambition. Unlike some other examples.....
When Mr Taverne links Steiner to the vague elements in the Green aganda , we may demur ; but when he states baldly twice that steiner was a member of the NSDAP we are in the realms either of repetition by heresay of utterly inaccurate information ; and therefore unscientific negligence of a high order ; or of a deliberate lie intended to mislead and confuse a public with interest in these matters. Only Mr Taverne can tell us which.
Read with Caution, 31 Oct 2008
If you intend to buy this book then do so with extreme caution. Margaret Cook in her review in The Guardian observed that much of Taverne's `discussion is rather rant than reason' and pointed to his tendency to declare as absurd any argument he doesn't understand. But more worrying are his gross distortions of history and his total misrepresentation of those individuals involved in the ecological and organic movements in the twentieth century. His attacks, for example, on Rudolf Steiner and the Anthroposophical Movement are a total fabrication and a complete falsification of the facts. Taverne, relies on Anna Bramwell's book Ecology in the 20th Century: A History, to argue that Steiner was a member of the Nazi party in it early days. This is completely untrue and although some of the Nazi leaders were interested in the agricultural methods developed by Steiner, he never embraced any right wing ideology nor joined any political parties. Indeed he was frequently attacked by right wing extremists and at one point in the early 1920s he was forced to call off his lecture tours in fear of his life from right wing groups. Taverne uses no primary source material to support any of his arguments in this book and one can only say that if you decide to buy it then it is a good lesson on how history should NOT be written.
Dr. Kenneth Gibson
Polemical Nonsense, 07 Jul 2008
"The March of Unreason" is an ill-conceived, narrow-minded, badly-argued polemic disguised by just enough rationality to convince those with no understanding of the issues, that anyone with political leanings left of centre, or anyone involved in a green NGO suffers from relativist myopia, and refuses to recognise objective science.
I have two main issues with the book. I basically agree with 80% of what he says, but he argues with the same degree of black&white fundamentalism with which he accuses NGOs such as Greenpeace of being prone to.
My second issue is that his viewpoints are so anthropocentric as to be wholly arrogant. As a result he argues certain points unnecessarily to death, while conveniently glossing over those environmental arguments which are less easy for him to swallow. The review by the FT of this book says everything else which needs to be said.
The Eco-fundamentalists principal goal seems to be the wanton and total annihilation of rational debate. , 05 Jan 2008
An absolutely fantastic book.
In an ideal world, one not controlled by doomsayers, fear-mongers and sensationalist headline grabbers - this excellent book would be on the school science curriculum throughout Europe.
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth (which makes a refreshing change!).
Just read it!
Eulogy to science, 07 Dec 2007
Dick, Lord Taverne, Liberal-Democrat peer but former barrister and Labour minister, makes a case that the scientific method be accorded qualitatively greater respect than various "pseudo-sciences". He documents how people in the UK in particular, and in the West in general, have come to regard science with suspicion and distrust whereas until just fifty years ago it was seen positively (but perhaps rather too uncritically) as a source of further developments that would make the world a better place.
He deals initially with three specific examples: alternative medicines (mostly snake oil, at best placebos), organic farming (not as good for the world as you might think) and GM crops (a development that could already have made a massive positive impact in the third world in particular, with no negative side effects that any respectable scientists have been able to demonstrate).
He then moves on to look at some themes of anti-science. Eco-fundamentalism is a catch-all for those who oppose scientific developments but do not use the scientific method. He characterises them as having closed minds: Lord Melchett, Director of Greenpeace, he quotes as an example, having said that he would oppose GM crops "permanently, definitely and completely" irrespective of any new evidence about them. He points out the similarity of this approach and fundamental religious beliefs. He exposes the "Precautionary Principle" espoused by many eco-fundamentalists (and several others) as a precept that might be used to justify our stopping scientific progress altogether.
Like Taverne, I am not a scientist, but also like him I understand and admire the scientific principle. A scientist posits a theory (often based on experimental work); his peers seek to disprove that theory. No scientific theory can be proven, "proof" in this context really amounting only to not having been dis-proven for quite a time. "Peer review" is of course a feature of non-scientific academia as well, but in science theories can be very conclusively disproven in a way that is often not possible in social sciences and the humanities. It is in theory, at least, more rigorous. Taverne points out that the "facts" used by eco-fundamentalists have often been used without any peer review, and continue to be bandied about even after then have been conclusively disproved by the scientific community. He cites the case of Dr Arpad Pusztai whose allegation that GM potatoes were demonstrably unhealthy led to talk of "Frankenfoods" and was significant in bringing about an effective end to GM development in Europe. Having been used indiscriminately by journalists in pursuit of a good story, the same journalists were (un)surprisingly silent when the good doctor was rejected by the scientific community. Would that journalists would make the effort to understand the difference between peer reviewed and other papers, and would reflect that in their writing. The problem, of course, is this would in many cases make for less arresting headlines!
Taverne's style is one of gentle polemic - gentler certainly than Dawkins, similar perhaps to Lomborg, both of whom he clearly admires. My own approach was, I admit, already very much in tune with Taverne's in the first place, but he has succeeded in shaking me out of complacency in having accepted some of these untruths. Whereas, for example, I would have taken the view that while GM foods might have certain advantages, it was indeed fair to ban them according to a precautionary principle. I realise now that the consequence of that ban is that many people in the third world, who might already be benefiting from GM crops, are still living more impoverished, less healthy lives than they would if certain GM crops had been developed, and we in Europe had not closed our minds to buying them.
If I have a criticism, it is this. He overdoes the extent to which scientists are always genuinely neutral in the pursuit of greater understanding. All too often, sadly, scientists become victims of their own preconceptions and prejudices, and their science a crusade to prove their old argument right in the face of mounting evidence that they are wrong. Equally, all too human social networks and obligations undermine peer review and honest criticism. Group think sets in: see Booker & North (2007) "Scared to Death". While Taverne reminds us that the scientific method is a powerful tool in the quest for knowledge, he does rather give the impression that scientists are, per se, above ordinary human failings, and sadly that is not also the case.
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Customer Reviews
Rather incomplete., 17 Jul 1999
I found this book to be rather unsatisfactory. I realize this is an APPLIED thermodynamics book intended for chemical engineers, but I still think it wholly incomprehensive. NOWHERE in the book is there even a sentence regarding the themodynamics of chemical reactions. Aren't chemical reactions important to the engineers performing them? Also, the majority of the mathematics behind all of the derivations is not included. Example: "for a throttle, dH=0." I realize this is somewhat intuitive, but mention could at least be made of the reasoning behind it, guys (and preferrably more than one paragraph). the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, 30 Dec 2000
the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, full of useful information, a genuine help once you leave university. buy the hardback it will survive the abuse better. Hard copy virtues with new features, but more could be done., 12 Dec 2000
All chemical engineers are familiar with Perry's handbook. The CD-ROM version brings all the information and wisdom of the paper version to your computer, with the added benefit of comprehensive and powerful searching tools. Like reviewers of the hard copy, I'd give the contents part 5 stars. The searching capability and hyperlink facilities are a boon - worth 5 stars on their own. The "active" features are less impressive. Some active figures are graphs linked to the Activ8 programme. When you double click the object, this programme produces a new window with a dialogue box which can read the cursor position to you when it's over the graph. You can use this to copy and paste data. Other figures bring up just an image and the image is less clear than the original document! Active tables work in a similar way, and some allow for interpolation between tabulated values. If you copy and paste, the whole table is pasted, whereas I would have preferred to have been able to select some cells of interest and just paste them. I had thought the package also gave active formulae, a bit like a Mathcad worksheet or a spreadsheet perhaps, but there are none in this version despite the tempting claim on the box "On-screen problem-solving: tables, graphs, calculations". So, only 3 stars for the active bit. The book is still very much an American one, and SI units are treated as second best. In fact, the book has an amazing variety of mixed units due to the many contributors .... but we chemical engineers are used to that, I suppose. It would be better for most engineers of today if it catered for SI units better. At least please provide an active units converter! How about the one called "Universal Units Converter" by Sarah Hanson, available free on the IChemE web site? 2 stars for that part. The part I like least is the license agreement. I work with a number of colleagues, and the paper versions of our textbooks are passed around as needed and still spend most of their lives on the shelves. However you can only read this CD "book" at one desk, as the license restricts installation to one computer only. Clearly the manufacturer wants to prevent one copy from supplying the needs of a multi-national corporation, and for these users, multi-user and LAN licenses are available, which is fine. But restricting the single user license to one PC is an unnecessary nuisance. By all means forbid copying the CD, but please let us pass the CD between colleagues. Only 1 star for that, I'm afraid. Overall? I'd still rate it 4 stars as it's just so useful in this electronic form. We metric engineers have long coped with Perry in US units, and we never had anything active before, so the current offering is better than before if a little disappointing. The license problem can be lived with - our office copy is now on a spare PC for all to use - I just think it's annoying. Hopefully future versions will build on this, and I hope that updates will not be full cost to owners of this version. Given these, it might be worth 6 stars! I'll not bother with my paper copies of Perry again!
We always say "You'll find it in Perry's", 06 Dec 2000
Quite simply the Chemical Engineer's Bible - a reference book you simply cannot afford to be without. Worth every penny, franc or cent!
Best book out there, 10 Feb 2000
It is the definitive book for Chemical Engineers, if only it had some harder maths in it would be worth the dosh.
The harder the better., 24 Sep 1999
Worth every penny of the extra cost, the durability of the hardback edition makes it invaluable as one's sole companion on those lonely desert, jungle or offshore postings. A seminal experience.
AMAZING =), 15 Feb 2007
I had read some of the reviews that other people had posted on this website and was a bit dubious to how good thew book was as many mentioned having to use additional notes. However although i did have additional notes for the last couple of days before my Jan 2007 exam on Module 1 i used only this book and feel like i should easily get an A/B in the exam. Although i know of people of lesser ability in the class who felt the book was not as good at explaining things they needed to learn, for anyone like me who knows their stuff already and is just looking for a quick brain refresher this is an AMAZING book 11 out of 10.
By the way just got my results 15/03/2007 and i got an A: 100 out of 105. And i would largely put it down to this book... happy revising
A useful study aid, 25 Jan 2006
I have just taken the AS module four exam and for the first time have used one of the Collins biology module guides for assistance in my revision. If you are deciding whether or not to purchase one I would very much advise you to go ahead and do so, as it contains all the topics that will be tested upon in the exam. However, I do suggest that you use it in conjunction with your notes as there are a few discrepancies which may be confusing if not spotted early. Also there are sections such as on the kidneys and eyes that are quite brief and so it is important to refer to your notes. Overall it is a very simplified view on the topics and allows you to grasp the basic concepts that run throughout the module.
Good, but BEWARE OF MISTAKES, 10 Jan 2006
I have used this book and the previous books in this serious for my AS and A2 examinations this year and have found them to be very useful. HOWEVER there are several mistakes that have come to my attention. For example the book proudly states that the resting potential is achieved by more potassium ion moving out than sodium ions moving in. This is of course WRONG as the resting potential is achieved by more SODIUM ions moving OUT than POTASSIUM ions moving IN! For this alone I am giving this book 3 stars.
One word - essential, 14 Dec 2005
My result for this unit was 88/90 and I based my revision around this book. I recommend using it in conjunction with a more detailed textbook, Longmans AS biology perhaps. This book and the others in the series are a must for this course though - buy it, you'll do well!
This book is essential!, 27 Oct 2005
This book is amazing. I did the AQA syllabus for my Biology A Level, and I used this book and this book alone to revise for my exam (no notes, no big textbook, nothing else) and I got 94% for the module. The only trick to this book is that every sentence is something you need to know and memorise - whereas in the main book, there is lots of unnecessary background information that you can ignore or forget. I found this particularly useful - you don't waste time revising things that you're not sure you need to know or not from the main book. This doesn't mean that the revision book is hard to understand, either; everything is explained very clearly and in the unlikely event you do get stuck, you can always consult the main course textbook. If you memorise all the material in this book you are guaranteed a (very high) A grade - it misses nothing out. I'd also strongly recommend getting the revision books for the other modules, like I said, I only used the revision books to revise (with the exception of the last optional module that didn't have a revision book) and I got high As in all modules. Originally I didn't feel they were that important, so did the first module just from the main book - I got a C first time around, then for my resit bought the revision book and got the A. For the sake of five pounds it's really, really worth getting these books, I can't stress how good they are.
Excellent: clear and useful., 12 Dec 2007
I've only just bought this book but already it's incredibly useful. Everything is set out well and the text is clear, so that you understand every step of a calculation. Solutions to the given problems are fully explained.
The tone is excellent - far less dry than many textbooks. There's even a Buzz Lightyear quote in there. The book and accompanying CD-ROM also include information about the real world and how the theoretical work covered in the text applies to actual engineering.
I definitely recommend this textbook to anyone doing reaction engineering, particularly if you're having trouble grasping the subject.
A great buy for any serious chemical enginering student, 01 Nov 2000
Well thought out and put together, Fogler introduces the basic concepts first and gradually builds up to more advanced topics. Structured very well with lots of problems to help creative thinking.
Even for a duch student it is easy to understand, 26 Dec 1999
This book is used for several (duch)classes in Amsterdam. I can say that, even in English, it is very helpfull for solving problems in chemical engeneering.
Simply excellent!, 03 Apr 1998
This book is so well presented it's simply a dream. Fogler makes learning this stuff (which is pretty hard) really easy. The book is very logical and easy to follow. It covers practically all aspects of reaction kinetics and reactor design. It's an absolute must for any Chemical Engineer who has to pass exams!
The most lucid chemical engineering book there is, 20 Jun 1997
This is probably the best book you will find in chemical engineering. It is very well-written and concisely explains the basics of reactor engineering. This book is a necessity for a chemical engineer for its ability to elucidate the important concepts of kinetics.
Not scientific or truthful, 13 Nov 2008
Mr Taverne, who many years ago might be experienced as a freedom -loving democratic socialist ,has tried to find the paradigm behind the ecological and environmental movements of today. In an extraordinarily interesting part of his book he tries to find this in the person of Rudolf Steiner(1861-1925) founder of biodynamic agriculture anthroposophical medecine and steiner education, whose london centre is in Park Rd NW1.This seems to me unusual, since Steiners work seems not very well known in Britain except superficially. BUT......
Far from Steiner being unscientific or inclined to vague anti -scientific notions ( which may indeed infect some of the enthusiasts Taverne lambasts) he was in every way extremely scientific in the true sense; even writing books on epistemology and later extending the scientific sense to the spiritual world as well as that of the senses.
Taverne may not know this or doubt it and feel justified in lumping Steiner with what he considers unscientific dreaming;, even he may consider him the source of it .I strongly disagree but he is entitled to his opinion.He even can imply that some Nazis were given to this sort of enthusiasm and unscientific ideas.
But it is really a terrible slur to imply that in some way Anthroposophy is the source of Nazism. almost like blaming Lincoln for the death of John Wilkes Booth . ( I cannot quite find a good analogy) In other words anthroposophy is TOTALY OPPOSED to racism and the idea of "racial thought." In fact it proclaims free thought which comes from the individual spirit and is not tied to race business war or ambition. Unlike some other examples.....
When Mr Taverne links Steiner to the vague elements in the Green aganda , we may demur ; but when he states baldly twice that steiner was a member of the NSDAP we are in the realms either of repetition by heresay of utterly inaccurate information ; and therefore unscientific negligence of a high order ; or of a deliberate lie intended to mislead and confuse a public with interest in these matters. Only Mr Taverne can tell us which.
Read with Caution, 31 Oct 2008
If you intend to buy this book then do so with extreme caution. Margaret Cook in her review in The Guardian observed that much of Taverne's `discussion is rather rant than reason' and pointed to his tendency to declare as absurd any argument he doesn't understand. But more worrying are his gross distortions of history and his total misrepresentation of those individuals involved in the ecological and organic movements in the twentieth century. His attacks, for example, on Rudolf Steiner and the Anthroposophical Movement are a total fabrication and a complete falsification of the facts. Taverne, relies on Anna Bramwell's book Ecology in the 20th Century: A History, to argue that Steiner was a member of the Nazi party in it early days. This is completely untrue and although some of the Nazi leaders were interested in the agricultural methods developed by Steiner, he never embraced any right wing ideology nor joined any political parties. Indeed he was frequently attacked by right wing extremists and at one point in the early 1920s he was forced to call off his lecture tours in fear of his life from right wing groups. Taverne uses no primary source material to support any of his arguments in this book and one can only say that if you decide to buy it then it is a good lesson on how history should NOT be written.
Dr. Kenneth Gibson
Polemical Nonsense, 07 Jul 2008
"The March of Unreason" is an ill-conceived, narrow-minded, badly-argued polemic disguised by just enough rationality to convince those with no understanding of the issues, that anyone with political leanings left of centre, or anyone involved in a green NGO suffers from relativist myopia, and refuses to recognise objective science.
I have two main issues with the book. I basically agree with 80% of what he says, but he argues with the same degree of black&white fundamentalism with which he accuses NGOs such as Greenpeace of being prone to.
My second issue is that his viewpoints are so anthropocentric as to be wholly arrogant. As a result he argues certain points unnecessarily to death, while conveniently glossing over those environmental arguments which are less easy for him to swallow. The review by the FT of this book says everything else which needs to be said.
The Eco-fundamentalists principal goal seems to be the wanton and total annihilation of rational debate. , 05 Jan 2008
An absolutely fantastic book.
In an ideal world, one not controlled by doomsayers, fear-mongers and sensationalist headline grabbers - this excellent book would be on the school science curriculum throughout Europe.
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth (which makes a refreshing change!).
Just read it!
Eulogy to science, 07 Dec 2007
Dick, Lord Taverne, Liberal-Democrat peer but former barrister and Labour minister, makes a case that the scientific method be accorded qualitatively greater respect than various "pseudo-sciences". He documents how people in the UK in particular, and in the West in general, have come to regard science with suspicion and distrust whereas until just fifty years ago it was seen positively (but perhaps rather too uncritically) as a source of further developments that would make the world a better place.
He deals initially with three specific examples: alternative medicines (mostly snake oil, at best placebos), organic farming (not as good for the world as you might think) and GM crops (a development that could already have made a massive positive impact in the third world in particular, with no negative side effects that any respectable scientists have been able to demonstrate).
He then moves on to look at some themes of anti-science. Eco-fundamentalism is a catch-all for those who oppose scientific developments but do not use the scientific method. He characterises them as having closed minds: Lord Melchett, Director of Greenpeace, he quotes as an example, having said that he would oppose GM crops "permanently, definitely and completely" irrespective of any new evidence about them. He points out the similarity of this approach and fundamental religious beliefs. He exposes the "Precautionary Principle" espoused by many eco-fundamentalists (and several others) as a precept that might be used to justify our stopping scientific progress altogether.
Like Taverne, I am not a scientist, but also like him I understand and admire the scientific principle. A scientist posits a theory (often based on experimental work); his peers seek to disprove that theory. No scientific theory can be proven, "proof" in this context really amounting only to not having been dis-proven for quite a time. "Peer review" is of course a feature of non-scientific academia as well, but in science theories can be very conclusively disproven in a way that is often not possible in social sciences and the humanities. It is in theory, at least, more rigorous. Taverne points out that the "facts" used by eco-fundamentalists have often been used without any peer review, and continue to be bandied about even after then have been conclusively disproved by the scientific community. He cites the case of Dr Arpad Pusztai whose allegation that GM potatoes were demonstrably unhealthy led to talk of "Frankenfoods" and was significant in bringing about an effective end to GM development in Europe. Having been used indiscriminately by journalists in pursuit of a good story, the same journalists were (un)surprisingly silent when the good doctor was rejected by the scientific community. Would that journalists would make the effort to understand the difference between peer reviewed and other papers, and would reflect that in their writing. The problem, of course, is this would in many cases make for less arresting headlines!
Taverne's style is one of gentle polemic - gentler certainly than Dawkins, similar perhaps to Lomborg, both of whom he clearly admires. My own approach was, I admit, already very much in tune with Taverne's in the first place, but he has succeeded in shaking me out of complacency in having accepted some of these untruths. Whereas, for example, I would have taken the view that while GM foods might have certain advantages, it was indeed fair to ban them according to a precautionary principle. I realise now that the consequence of that ban is that many people in the third world, who might already be benefiting from GM crops, are still living more impoverished, less healthy lives than they would if certain GM crops had been developed, and we in Europe had not closed our minds to buying them.
If I have a criticism, it is this. He overdoes the extent to which scientists are always genuinely neutral in the pursuit of greater understanding. All too often, sadly, scientists become victims of their own preconceptions and prejudices, and their science a crusade to prove their old argument right in the face of mounting evidence that they are wrong. Equally, all too human social networks and obligations undermine peer review and honest criticism. Group think sets in: see Booker & North (2007) "Scared to Death". While Taverne reminds us that the scientific method is a powerful tool in the quest for knowledge, he does rather give the impression that scientists are, per se, above ordinary human failings, and sadly that is not also the case.
Quite good, 14 Jun 2004
I got this off amazon, as we were studying Microbiology & Biotech (OCR syllabus), and were given the old version at school. I have to say its ok, but not brilliant. It covers most of the OCR syllabus well, although there are a couple of areas that could be improved. It also contains some of the work taken off the syllabus 4 years ago.
Also, it's a shame its in black and white. Although not quite up to the standard of "Biology 1" and "Biology 2", I still would not be without it, nor should anyone studying this course.
Very useful, especially for those studying it at A-Level., 09 Nov 2000
This book came in very useful and was very appropriate for the course I was studying. It covered all the necessary points and was very helpful during revision. It has one downfall, it is printed in black and white and could've been in colour which would've made it more interesting. On the whole, this book deserves four stars and I would reccomend it to anyone interested in this field of biology.
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Customer Reviews
Rather incomplete., 17 Jul 1999
I found this book to be rather unsatisfactory. I realize this is an APPLIED thermodynamics book intended for chemical engineers, but I still think it wholly incomprehensive. NOWHERE in the book is there even a sentence regarding the themodynamics of chemical reactions. Aren't chemical reactions important to the engineers performing them? Also, the majority of the mathematics behind all of the derivations is not included. Example: "for a throttle, dH=0." I realize this is somewhat intuitive, but mention could at least be made of the reasoning behind it, guys (and preferrably more than one paragraph). the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, 30 Dec 2000
the most important book you'll buy as a chem eng student, full of useful information, a genuine help once you leave university. buy the hardback it will survive the abuse better. Hard copy virtues with new features, but more could be done., 12 Dec 2000
All chemical engineers are familiar with Perry's handbook. The CD-ROM version brings all the information and wisdom of the paper version to your computer, with the added benefit of comprehensive and powerful searching tools. Like reviewers of the hard copy, I'd give the contents part 5 stars. The searching capability and hyperlink facilities are a boon - worth 5 stars on their own. The "active" features are less impressive. Some active figures are graphs linked to the Activ8 programme. When you double click the object, this programme produces a new window with a dialogue box which can read the cursor position to you when it's over the graph. You can use this to copy and paste data. Other figures bring up just an image and the image is less clear than the original document! Active tables work in a similar way, and some allow for interpolation between tabulated values. If you copy and paste, the whole table is pasted, whereas I would have preferred to have been able to select some cells of interest and just paste them. I had thought the package also gave active formulae, a bit like a Mathcad worksheet or a spreadsheet perhaps, but there are none in this version despite the tempting claim on the box "On-screen problem-solving: tables, graphs, calculations". So, only 3 stars for the active bit. The book is still very much an American one, and SI units are treated as second best. In fact, the book has an amazing variety of mixed units due to the many contributors .... but we chemical engineers are used to that, I suppose. It would be better for most engineers of today if it catered for SI units better. At least please provide an active units converter! How about the one called "Universal Units Converter" by Sarah Hanson, available free on the IChemE web site? 2 stars for that part. The part I like least is the license agreement. I work with a number of colleagues, and the paper versions of our textbooks are passed around as needed and still spend most of their lives on the shelves. However you can only read this CD "book" at one desk, as the license restricts installation to one computer only. Clearly the manufacturer wants to prevent one copy from supplying the needs of a multi-national corporation, and for these users, multi-user and LAN licenses are available, which is fine. But restricting the single user license to one PC is an unnecessary nuisance. By all means forbid copying the CD, but please let us pass the CD between colleagues. Only 1 star for that, I'm afraid. Overall? I'd still rate it 4 stars as it's just so useful in this electronic form. We metric engineers have long coped with Perry in US units, and we never had anything active before, so the current offering is better than before if a little disappointing. The license problem can be lived with - our office copy is now on a spare PC for all to use - I just think it's annoying. Hopefully future versions will build on this, and I hope that updates will not be full cost to owners of this version. Given these, it might be worth 6 stars! I'll not bother with my paper copies of Perry again!
We always say "You'll find it in Perry's", 06 Dec 2000
Quite simply the Chemical Engineer's Bible - a reference book you simply cannot afford to be without. Worth every penny, franc or cent!
Best book out there, 10 Feb 2000
It is the definitive book for Chemical Engineers, if only it had some harder maths in it would be worth the dosh.
The harder the better., 24 Sep 1999
Worth every penny of the extra cost, the durability of the hardback edition makes it invaluable as one's sole companion on those lonely desert, jungle or offshore postings. A seminal experience.
AMAZING =), 15 Feb 2007
I had read some of the reviews that other people had posted on this website and was a bit dubious to how good thew book was as many mentioned having to use additional notes. However although i did have additional notes for the last couple of days before my Jan 2007 exam on Module 1 i used only this book and feel like i should easily get an A/B in the exam. Although i know of people of lesser ability in the class who felt the book was not as good at explaining things they needed to learn, for anyone like me who knows their stuff already and is just looking for a quick brain refresher this is an AMAZING book 11 out of 10.
By the way just got my results 15/03/2007 and i got an A: 100 out of 105. And i would largely put it down to this book... happy revising
A useful study aid, 25 Jan 2006
I have just taken the AS module four exam and for the first time have used one of the Collins biology module guides for assistance in my revision. If you are deciding whether or not to purchase one I would very much advise you to go ahead and do so, as it contains all the topics that will be tested upon in the exam. However, I do suggest that you use it in conjunction with your notes as there are a few discrepancies which may be confusing if not spotted early. Also there are sections such as on the kidneys and eyes that are quite brief and so it is important to refer to your notes. Overall it is a very simplified view on the topics and allows you to grasp the basic concepts that run throughout the module.
Good, but BEWARE OF MISTAKES, 10 Jan 2006
I have used this book and the previous books in this serious for my AS and A2 examinations this year and have found them to be very useful. HOWEVER there are several mistakes that have come to my attention. For example the book proudly states that the resting potential is achieved by more potassium ion moving out than sodium ions moving in. This is of course WRONG as the resting potential is achieved by more SODIUM ions moving OUT than POTASSIUM ions moving IN! For this alone I am giving this book 3 stars.
One word - essential, 14 Dec 2005
My result for this unit was 88/90 and I based my revision around this book. I recommend using it in conjunction with a more detailed textbook, Longmans AS biology perhaps. This book and the others in the series are a must for this course though - buy it, you'll do well!
This book is essential!, 27 Oct 2005
This book is amazing. I did the AQA syllabus for my Biology A Level, and I used this book and this book alone to revise for my exam (no notes, no big textbook, nothing else) and I got 94% for the module. The only trick to this book is that every sentence is something you need to know and memorise - whereas in the main book, there is lots of unnecessary background information that you can ignore or forget. I found this particularly useful - you don't waste time revising things that you're not sure you need to know or not from the main book. This doesn't mean that the revision book is hard to understand, either; everything is explained very clearly and in the unlikely event you do get stuck, you can always consult the main course textbook. If you memorise all the material in this book you are guaranteed a (very high) A grade - it misses nothing out. I'd also strongly recommend getting the revision books for the other modules, like I said, I only used the revision books to revise (with the exception of the last optional module that didn't have a revision book) and I got high As in all modules. Originally I didn't feel they were that important, so did the first module just from the main book - I got a C first time around, then for my resit bought the revision book and got the A. For the sake of five pounds it's really, really worth getting these books, I can't stress how good they are.
Excellent: clear and useful., 12 Dec 2007
I've only just bought this book but already it's incredibly useful. Everything is set out well and the text is clear, so that you understand every step of a calculation. Solutions to the given problems are fully explained.
The tone is excellent - far less dry than many textbooks. There's even a Buzz Lightyear quote in there. The book and accompanying CD-ROM also include information about the real world and how the theoretical work covered in the text applies to actual engineering.
I definitely recommend this textbook to anyone doing reaction engineering, particularly if you're having trouble grasping the subject.
A great buy for any serious chemical enginering student, 01 Nov 2000
Well thought out and put together, Fogler introduces the basic concepts first and gradually builds up to more advanced topics. Structured very well with lots of problems to help creative thinking.
Even for a duch student it is easy to understand, 26 Dec 1999
This book is used for several (duch)classes in Amsterdam. I can say that, even in English, it is very helpfull for solving problems in chemical engeneering.
Simply excellent!, 03 Apr 1998
This book is so well presented it's simply a dream. Fogler makes learning this stuff (which is pretty hard) really easy. The book is very logical and easy to follow. It covers practically all aspects of reaction kinetics and reactor design. It's an absolute must for any Chemical Engineer who has to pass exams!
The most lucid chemical engineering book there is, 20 Jun 1997
This is probably the best book you will find in chemical engineering. It is very well-written and concisely explains the basics of reactor engineering. This book is a necessity for a chemical engineer for its ability to elucidate the important concepts of kinetics.
Not scientific or truthful, 13 Nov 2008
Mr Taverne, who many years ago might be experienced as a freedom -loving democratic socialist ,has tried to find the paradigm behind the ecological and environmental movements of today. In an extraordinarily interesting part of his book he tries to find this in the person of Rudolf Steiner(1861-1925) founder of biodynamic agriculture anthroposophical medecine and steiner education, whose london centre is in Park Rd NW1.This seems to me unusual, since Steiners work seems not very well known in Britain except superficially. BUT......
Far from Steiner being unscientific or inclined to vague anti -scientific notions ( which may indeed infect some of the enthusiasts Taverne lambasts) he was in every way extremely scientific in the true sense; even writing books on epistemology and later extending the scientific sense to the spiritual world as well as that of the senses.
Taverne may not know this or doubt it and feel justified in lumping Steiner with what he considers unscientific dreaming;, even he may consider him the source of it .I strongly disagree but he is entitled to his opinion.He even can imply that some Nazis were given to this sort of enthusiasm and unscientific ideas.
But it is really a terrible slur to imply that in some way Anthroposophy is the source of Nazism. almost like blaming Lincoln for the death of John Wilkes Booth . ( I cannot quite find a good analogy) In other words anthroposophy is TOTALY OPPOSED to racism and the idea of "racial thought." In fact it proclaims free thought which comes from the individual spirit and is not tied to race business war or ambition. Unlike some other examples.....
When Mr Taverne links Steiner to the vague elements in the Green aganda , we may demur ; but when he states baldly twice that steiner was a member of the NSDAP we are in the realms either of repetition by heresay of utterly inaccurate information ; and therefore unscientific negligence of a high order ; or of a deliberate lie intended to mislead and confuse a public with interest in these matters. Only Mr Taverne can tell us which.
Read with Caution, 31 Oct 2008
If you intend to buy this book then do so with extreme caution. Margaret Cook in her review in The Guardian observed that much of Taverne's `discussion is rather rant than reason' and pointed to his tendency to declare as absurd any argument he doesn't understand. But more worrying are his gross distortions of history and his total misrepresentation of those individuals involved in the ecological and organic movements in the twentieth century. His attacks, for example, on Rudolf Steiner and the Anthroposophical Movement are a total fabrication and a complete falsification of the facts. Taverne, relies on Anna Bramwell's book Ecology in the 20th Century: A History, to argue that Steiner was a member of the Nazi party in it early days. This is completely untrue and although some of the Nazi leaders were interested in the agricultural methods developed by Steiner, he never embraced any right wing ideology nor joined any political parties. Indeed he was frequently attacked by right wing extremists and at one point in the early 1920s he was forced to call off his lecture tours in fear of his life from right wing groups. Taverne uses no primary source material to support any of his arguments in this book and one can only say that if you decide to buy it then it is a good lesson on how history should NOT be written.
Dr. Kenneth Gibson
Polemical Nonsense, 07 Jul 2008
"The March of Unreason" is an ill-conceived, narrow-minded, badly-argued polemic disguised by just enough rationality to convince those with no understanding of the issues, that anyone with political leanings left of centre, or anyone involved in a green NGO suffers from relativist myopia, and refuses to recognise objective science.
I have two main issues with the book. I basically agree with 80% of what he says, but he argues with the same degree of black&white fundamentalism with which he accuses NGOs such as Greenpeace of being prone to.
My second issue is that his viewpoints are so anthropocentric as to be wholly arrogant. As a result he argues certain points unnecessarily to death, while conveniently glossing over those environmental arguments which are less easy for him to swallow. The review by the FT of this book says everything else which needs to be said.
The Eco-fundamentalists principal goal seems to be the wanton and total annihilation of rational debate. , 05 Jan 2008
An absolutely fantastic book.
In an ideal world, one not controlled by doomsayers, fear-mongers and sensationalist headline grabbers - this excellent book would be on the school science curriculum throughout Europe.
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth (which makes a refreshing change!).
Just read it!
Eulogy to science, 07 Dec 2007
Dick, Lord Taverne, Liberal-Democrat peer but former barrister and Labour minister, makes a case that the scientific method be accorded qualitatively greater respect than various "pseudo-sciences". He documents how people in the UK in particular, and in the West in general, have come to regard science with suspicion and distrust whereas until just fifty years ago it was seen positively (but perhaps rather too uncritically) as a source of further developments that would make the world a better place.
He deals initially with three specific examples: alternative medicines (mostly snake oil, at best placebos), organic farming (not as good for the world as you might think) and GM crops (a development that could already have made a massive positive impact in the third world in particular, with no negative side effects that any respectable scientists have been able to demonstrate).
He then moves on to look at some themes of anti-science. Eco-fundamentalism is a catch-all for those who oppose scientific developments but do not use the scientific method. He characterises them as having closed minds: Lord Melchett, Director of Greenpeace, he quotes as an example, having said that he would oppose GM crops "permanently, definitely and completely" irrespective of any new evidence about them. He points out the similarity of this approach and fundamental religious beliefs. He exposes the "Precautionary Principle" espoused by many eco-fundamentalists (and several others) as a precept that might be used to justify our stopping scientific progress altogether.
Like Taverne, I am not a scientist, but also like him I understand and admire the scientific principle. A scientist posits a theory (often based on experimental work); his peers seek to disprove that theory. No scientific theory can be proven, "proof" in this context really amounting only to not having been dis-proven for quite a time. "Peer review" is of course a feature of non-scientific academia as well, but in science theories can be very conclusively disproven in a way that is often not possible in social sciences and the humanities. It is in theory, at least, more rigorous. Taverne points out that the "facts" used by eco-fundamentalists have often been used without any peer review, and continue to be bandied about even after then have been conclusively disproved by the scientific community. He cites the case of Dr Arpad Pusztai whose allegation that GM potatoes were demonstrably unhealthy led to talk of "Frankenfoods" and was significant in bringing about an effective end to GM development in Europe. Having been used indiscriminately by journalists in pursuit of a good story, the same journalists were (un)surprisingly silent when the good doctor was rejected by the scientific community. Would that journalists would make the effort to understand the difference between peer reviewed and other papers, and would reflect that in their writing. The problem, of course, is this would in many cases make for less arresting headlines!
Taverne's style is one of gentle polemic - gentler certainly than Dawkins, similar perhaps to Lomborg, both of whom he clearly admires. My own approach was, I admit, already very much in tune with Taverne's in the first place, but he has succeeded in shaking me out of complacency in having accepted some of these untruths. Whereas, for example, I would have taken the view that while GM foods might have certain advantages, it was indeed fair to ban them according to a precautionary principle. I realise now that the consequence of that ban is that many people in the third world, who might already be benefiting from GM crops, are still living more impoverished, less healthy lives than they would if certain GM crops had been developed, and we in Europe had not closed our minds to buying them.
If I have a criticism, it is this. He overdoes the extent to which scientists are always genuinely neutral in the pursuit of greater understanding. All too often, sadly, scientists become victims of their own preconceptions and prejudices, and their science a crusade to prove their old argument right in the face of mounting evidence that they are wrong. Equally, all too human social networks and obligations undermine peer review and honest criticism. Group think sets in: see Booker & North (2007) "Scared to Death". While Taverne reminds us that the scientific method is a powerful tool in the quest for knowledge, he does rather give the impression that scientists are, per se, above ordinary human failings, and sadly that is not also the case.
Quite good, 14 Jun 2004
I got this off amazon, as we were studying Microbiology & Biotech (OCR syllabus), and were given the old version at school. I have to say its ok, but not brilliant. It covers most of the OCR syllabus well, although there are a couple of areas that could be improved. It also contains some of the work taken off the syllabus 4 years ago.
Also, it's a shame its in black and white. Although not quite up to the standard of "Biology 1" and "Biology 2", I still would not be without it, nor should anyone studying this course.
Very useful, especially for those studying it at A-Level., 09 Nov 2000
This book came in very useful and was very appropriate for the course I was studying. It covered all the necessary points and was very helpful during revision. It has one downfall, it is printed in black and white and could've been in colour which would've made it more interesting. On the whole, this book deserves four stars and I would reccomend it to anyone interested in this field of biology.
This is like the bible for process control, 29 Jul 1999
The first edition was published in 1969, the second edition was released in 1982 (Volume 1) and 1985 (Volume 2). This latest edition comprises over 3000 pages between the 2 volumes. Each volume includes 8 chapters with many sub-headings per chapter. The Flow Measurement (29 sub-headins) and Analytical Instrumentation (60 sub-headings) chapters were heavily revised for the 1995 edition of VOLUME 1. PLC's & Other Logic Devices (10 subheadings), DCS & Computer-based Systems (16 sub-headings) and Process Control Systems (27 sub-headings) were largely rewritten for the 1995 edition of VOLUME 2. Within each product-oriented sub-heading (eg. Magnetic Flowmeters, Infrared Analyzers, DCS Basic Packages), in addition to extensive treatment of the applicable technology, a comprehesive listing of manufacturers and typical price ranges is provided. Under Process Control Systems, a diverse group of applications (Airhandler Controls, Clean Room Controls, Distillation Advanced Controls, Compressor Controls, Reactor Control & Optimation and many others) is profiled. Throughout this handbook, process control is treated in the time-domain to minimize mathematical complications implicit in frequency-domain analysis. Its focus is the practicding engineer and explains most control phoenomena visually. Over 250 contributing authors are listed, including many prestigious names immediately recognizable by process control professionals. Liptak personally authored a substantial number of revised and up-dated easlier contribution of pioneering practitioners. This opus is a tour de force. Liptak is a long-time industrial consultant, teaches a graduate course in advanced process control at Yale and writes the widely-followed Lessons Learned feature in CONTROL magazine. He has also lectured at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and been published on the editorial pages of the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
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