Engineering Mechanics: Statics (9th Edition)

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Summary: This book doesn't even make a good paper weight
Review: As a text book this one is a real stinker! The only person that should use this book is someone already well versed in the subject. The author assumes that the reader knows as much about statics as he does. If this is a required test my sympathy. Even the examples in this book are pretty lame, he works part of the problem and then leaves the rest up to the reader. There is also no solutions manual or study guide. With this one you really are on your own. If you have a choice, the book of the same title, by Robert W.Soutas-Little and David J. Inman, is a much better text. If you are required to use this book you might want to pick up a copy of the Soutas-Little/Inman text any way.

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Summary: Reasonable Introductory Offering on Statics
Review: Hibbeler's book was the prescribed text for the Statics class at Washington State University in the Spring of 2003. The book like all introductory books employs a simple approach to statics. There is some handwaving (especially when doing the Calc based Math) which actaully aids understanding. The problems illustrations (diagrams) are isometric pictorial and helps in the visualization. The chaper which I found lacking was the one on Dry Friction -- too little explanation and the solved examples were unrepresentative. The problems lacked the intuitive feel that one requires when solving the "impending motion" type friction problems.
All in all not such a bad book to start off Statics with. I plan to use the better Beer and Johnston treatment on Statics to further my understanding.

Rating:
Summary: really good
Review: i am using this book for the class EGN 3311 at USF. it is an excellent way to improve your understanding of physics and math and to condition yourself to reality. the diagrams are clear, the text is concise and to the core, and the overall presentation is well-done...

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Summary: Notes on the 2nd Edition (1978 Edition)
Review: I needed the Chapter on equivalent force systems this weekend at work. It provided a very helpful summary review of the material I needed, but it misled me with two sentences. Here was my task: given a resultant force and torque on a rigid body, both referred to a specific point, I needed to refer them both to a different point. The answer can be phrased as follows: "The same force acts at the new point, along with an R x F torque about the new point, where the R connects the two points, and the F is the given force. The additional torque vector about the new point is equal to the torque vector about the first point." The author misled me with these two sentences (paraphrased), "The resultant force at the new point is independent of location. However, the resultant moment at the new point depends on location, since the moments of the forces are computed using position vectors." I find this subject of great interest, but those two sentences misled me. They are not incorrect, but I hope that the author rephrased them and added more detail in later editions.

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Summary: 9th edition 2nd printing has many errors
Review: If you are buying this for an Engineering Statics class, I would suggest trying to locate the 9th edition, 1st printing. Although the text portion is identical, the problem sections in the 2nd printing often refer to illustrations that are nonexistant or incorrect. In addition, the many answers have no correlation to the referenced problem at all. Our instructor assigns many problems as homework, and this has caused major headaches for a majority of the class. I have compared the two printings, and the 1st printing does not contain these errors. Otherwise, the book does a very good job in explaining the various concepts. NOTE: The people at Prentice Hall are unsure if new replacements will be available until after this semester (Spring 2003). DO NOT BUY THE 2ND PRINTING IF YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO WORK THE PROBLEMS.

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Summary: Engineering Mechanics : Statics
Review: The book as a matter of fact covers all the basic subjects required for a future understanding of strength of materials. The explanations are quite long, and shorter sentences could have made it more attactive as an excellent text book. I do recommend it as a text book for a basic course.

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Summary: The book needs a solution manual
Review: The book has good pictures, but a very poor exlanation process. It is very dificult to follow.

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Summary: Is there a Workbook or Study Guide?
Review: The many pictures, diagrams and photos are very helpful. However, a Workbook and Study Guide would GREATLY benefit in my study of the subject. Such an ancillary is mentioned in the preface, yet I cannot find one for sale anywhere. Does a Workbook or Study Guide exist for this book?

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Summary: I rate this book as being extremely poor!!!
Review: This book is difficult to follow. The explanations and examples are not clear. It is bad enough that the problems are not clear cut. But it is even worse that a solution manual is not offered for this book.

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Summary: A statics problem folder
Review: This book is fair. Its strengths are the quantitiy of problems presented and the fact that the answers to nearly all the problems are in the back of the book. The diagrams to the problems are also very good. The weaknesses: presentation of the concepts is light. It is difficuly to build an intellectual understanding of the material from the reading. The "whys" are not explained. Methods are presented a la carte. This book desperately needs a solutions manual.