Fundamentals and Applications of Ultrasonic Waves

Rating:
Summary: Only buy it as a last resort!
Review: Fundamentals and Applications of Ultrasonic Waves, one of the most current books on this subject matter to be widely available within the past few years, attempts to go from the basics of acoustics and ultrasonics through acoustic devices and applications to a few specialty topics towards its conclusion. While it does contain plenty of information and elucidates some topics that may be difficult to find in similar works it has unfortunately missed the mark with respect to a most important consideration--the reader.

The fact that this is a first edition is more than obvious not only in that the presentation is questionable but that the writing style ranges from sub-standard to okay--attributes which make for an odd juxtaposition when compared with the author's credentials and experience. The writing does not deliver on the promise of clear, engaging prose as stated on the back cover. So much so that one must pause to wonder whether or not this book had been proof-read before going to final print. Nonetheless, the topical information is indeed given. The caveat is that the reader will have to practice patience and decipher the, at times, convoluted writing so as to get to central ideas.

In terms of its presentation, there is no clear indication as to the division between fundamentals and applications in the text. Accessibility for the reader could have been increased by a more sectioned approach to the chapters and their subsections that delineated such divisions. Another problem is that a significant number of the chapters seem to err on the short side in terms of length. That may not seem like a significant problem, but when you take into consideration the many cross-references given in the text to other works on points that are only briefly introduced within the discourse it is easy to see where comprehensiveness can be lost.

For the student there are some chapter summaries and questions. These are only given for chapters 2 through 10. The reader is not given any indication as to why the rest of the chapters do not deserve the same treatment. As given, the summaries represent more of a glossary to be placed in an appendix rather than clear summarizations for their respective chapters--they have no apparent order either. Answers for the chapter questions are not available. There is no information in the text pertaining to the availability of question answers for course instructors or students alike. By such unavailability the text does not lend itself well to adoption as a course text by educational institutions.

As stated in the book, university courses in ultrasonics are usually only available to upper level graduate students. Currently there are few university physics departments that give these courses. One of the author's purposes in writing this book is to fill this void and make available a book for beginning graduate students or newcomer's to this field. Though while covering many topics this book does little to improve the accessibility of the subject. Most of the basic chapters near the beginning of the text can be found in any text on acoustics, vibrations, or waves. Nothing special about them. Whereas, some of the more particular later chapters on the subject at hand appear to be more of a compilation of research results than of thoughtful discourse. This may partially explain the lack of chapter questions for the later chapters. The overall sense is that this is more of a patch work
than a smoothly connected edition. Hopefully this work will go through a thorough revision before it ever makes it into a second edition. It is not enough to just fill a volume with details. Those details must be thoughtfully drawn together to conveying rhythm and flow to the subject. In the end, this text serves better as a reference than as a course text.