Biological Thermodynamics

Rating:
Summary: Exciting!
Review: Although Mrs. Faversham is revealed as the murderer in the first third of the book, the joy is in the chase. Dr. Haynie's Inspector Thorndyke is a valuable addition to mystery fiction. Although the subplot about the stuttering pan flute player seemed a little belaboured.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting book
Review: I teach a course in thermodynamics for college students in biology, as such, I thought the book could be useful, perhaps the new textbook for my course.
Possitive things:
* you will find real thermodynamics, biology and also historical notes in the book.
* there are not too many books that blend biology and thermodynamics in forms acceptable to biologist and physicists, this one does.
* it has an interesting selection of subjects

Problems:
* most of the time it has TOO many words, for those that like concise presentations, it is a problem. There are no evident forms to distinguish essential from accesory
* there is a bias towards bio-chemistry that introduces some additional difficulties for people with other backgrounds

My recommendation to the students
Main text: Kondepudi and Prigogine. Modern Thermodynamics
(extremely clear, concise and with historical notes but little biology)
Second text: Biological Thermodynamics by Haynie

Rating:
Summary: This book might become a classic
Review: I'm a Ph.D. student in computational modeling specializing in applications in physics and bioinformatics. My bachelor's degree is in biophysics. I have read numerous biosciences books and texbooks by leading authors. In my opinion this book is one of the best biophysics books I have ever read. I found this book accessible, which is important for students, and yet engaging. The author provides broad coverage of the subject and thoroughly explains basic concepts. For instance, the first law is covered in its own chapter, as is the second law. There are two chapters of Gibbs free energy, with many practical applications, and one on statistical thermodynamics. The chapter on kinetics is an appropriate complement to a book whose main subject is thermodynamics. The final chapter reads like a popular book, introducing students to a number of very interesting and exciting areas for research. This is truly a unique textbook. My guess is that this book might become a classic.

Rating:
Summary: Good Scientific Text
Review: This book is cleverly written. What comes through on every page is Dr. Haynie's breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject. Dr. Haynie proved that a good scientific text need not be boring. Students who want to learn how thermodynamics relates to everyday life and how their body works will love this book.