A primary objective in a first course in mechanics is to help develop a student's ability first to analyze problems in a simple and logical manner, and then to apply basic principles to their solutions. A strong conceptual understanding of these basic mechanics principles is essential for successfully solving mechanics problems. This edition of Vector Mechanics for Engineers will help instructors achieve these goals. Continuing in the spirit of its successful previous editions, this edition provides conceptually accurate and thorough coverage together with a significant refreshment of the exercise sets and online delivery of homework problems to your students. This edition has undergone a complete rewrite to modernize and streamline the language through the text. Over 650 of the homework problems in the text are new or revised. One of the characteristics of the approach used in this book is that mechanics of particles is clearly separated from the mechanics of rigid bodies. This approach makes it possible to consider simple practical applications at an early stage and to postpone the introduction of the more difficult concepts.
McGraw-Hill's Connect, is also available as an optional, add on item. Connect is the only integrated learning system that empowers students by continuously adapting to deliver precisely what they need, when they need it, how they need it, so that class time is more effective. Connect allows the professor to assign homework, quizzes, and tests easily and automatically grades and records the scores of the student's work. Problems are randomized to prevent sharing of answers an may also have a "multi-step solution" which helps move the students' learning along if they experience difficulty.
Born in France and educated in France and Switzerland, Ferdinand Beer held an M.S. degree from the Sorbonne and an Sc.D. degree in theoretical mechanics from the University of Geneva. He came to the United States after serving in the French army during the early part of World War II and taught for four years at Williams College in the Williams-MIT joint arts and engineering program. Following his service at Williams College, Beer joined the faculty of Lehigh University, where he taught for thirty-seven years. He held several positions, including the University Distinguished Professors Chair and Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department. In 1995, Beer was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by Lehigh University.
Born in Philadelphia, Russ holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Delaware and an Sc.D. degree in the field of structural engineering from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught at Lehigh University and Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) before joining the faculty of the University of Connecticut where he held the position of Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department and taught for twenty-six years. In 1991 Russ received the Outstanding Civil Engineer Award from the Connecticut Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Phillip J. Cornwell holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University. He is currently a professor of mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he has taught since 1989. His present interests include structural dynamics, structural health monitoring, and undergraduate engineering education. Cornwell spends his summers working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he is a mentor in the Los Alamos Dynamics Summer School and does research in the area of structural health monitoring. He received an SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award in 1992, the Dean's Outstanding Scholar Award at Rose-Hulman in 2000, and the Board of Trustees Outstanding Scholar Award at Rose-Hulman in 2001.
Brian Self obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Utah. He worked in the Air Force Research Laboratories before teaching at the U.S. Air Force Academy for seven years. Brian has taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, since 2006. He has been active in the American Society of Engineering Education, serving on its Board from 2008-2010. With a team of five, Brian developed the Dynamics Concept Inventory to help assess student conceptual understanding. His professional interests include educational research, aviation physiology, and biomechanics.
