Schaum's Outline of Laplace Transforms

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference
Review: Ecellent reference for LaPlace transforms. Reviews the fundamental theory and application of the LaPlace transform to ordinary and partial differential equations. Does well with explanation of the complex inversion formula. An essential reference for any graduate or undergraduate student in the engineering sciences.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful reference, lotsa problems
Review: I used this book (among others) for an undergraduate course on 'Fourier and Laplace Analysis' in my sophomore year in engineering. The author had presented the concepts of Fourier series and transforms before progressing to Laplace transforms. Many important topics like Convolution, Initial & Final Value Theorems as well as the applications of Laplace transforms in solving differential equations were presented in a clear-cut, understandable way.

Using this book was a rewarding experience.

Rating:
Summary: A good supplement
Review: If you are not already in a calculus class and are well versed in the terminology, you may find yourself a little lost with this one. This book assumes that you understand integrals and other mathematical theories. I would not use this to teach myself about Laplace transforms.

As a supplement, this is a fairly good book. As with most books in the series, there are various step-by-step instructions to show you how these work and to explain the various functions and theories. There are supplementary exercises at the end of each chapter with the answer right there for you to test yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Useful not only on Laplace Transforms
Review: This book is excellent! It contains a lot of exercises in several levels, from basic to advanced ones. The great advantage took ver the other books on this matter is that it's not necessary any previous knowledge about Complex Variables. The book is specialy useful for students not so used to the Math tricks. I used this book in a course on Applied Mathematics at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. I've found this book useful not only for learning Laplace Transforms but also can be used as a reference guide and introduction to Complex Variables, Partial Differential Equations, Integral Equations and a little taste about Circuit Analysis. Be sure of having one of this at your professional library.

Rating:
Summary: It helped me through control systems
Review: This book taught me both the basics and some of the finer points of LaPlace Transforms to get me past that hurdle so that I could begin focussing on the actual material presented in my BioControl Systems course. Many people got so caught up on the mathematics of LaPlace Transforms that they did not even get to the point where they could begin understanding control systems. I bought this book from Amazon at the beginning of the semester and it turned out to be a life-saver for me. I think that had I not sat down with this book for a weekend and taught myself LaPlace Transforms, I would have not passed that class.

Granted, this is a single case for a single class of a single bioengineering student; nevertheless, for my part I strongly recommend this book. I was put in a class where the teacher expected the students to have an understanding of the mathematics from the start. The majority of us didn't have that background, and this book clearly, simply, and without too much complication prepared me for my class which was exactly what I wanted it to do. It has been one of the best investments (as far as school books go) of my college career.

I must leave you with one parting word of wisdom. This book, and I don't think any other book dealing with such an advanced topic, is not easy to read. You will not be able to thoughtlessly master the material. You will work to understand it; your brain may hurt at times. But this book presented the information in a much-more-easy-to-digest manner than any of my college math textbooks, and for that, I am grateful.

Rating:
Summary: Not for Engineers
Review: This books looks like it was written by a mathematician for math students. I'm not saying that's bad, but with the screaming title, I feel like it will attract a lot of engineering students looking for help in their lower division engineering classes where Laplace Transforms are an integral part of the course. This text is not your best choice.

Looking @ the titles of some of the 8 chap. should make you suspicious:
Chap. 2 - The Inverse Laplace Transform,
Chap. 3 - Applications to Differential Equations,
Chap. 4 - Applications to Integral & Difference Equations,
Chap. 5 - Complex Variable Theory,
Chap. 7 - The Complex Inversion Formula,
Chap. 8 - Application to Boundary-Value Problems.

It's my guess that if your're an undergraduate engineering student (particularly EE), you're looking for a little less of Lerch's & Green's theorems, complex variable theory, & working inverse Laplace transforms by hand, and instead more engineering explanations of the complex S-plain, what's really happening when an f(t) is transposed into an F(s), how does the little function "e" raised to the "-st" power perform its magic, how does Laplace & Fourier transform differ, how does this relate to Phasors, & how can I solve many engineering problems without having to even write differential equations? In other words, you probably don't need another terse, yet cold math book. What you may be looking for is something that addresses S-Domain circuit/system analysis written from the engineering point of view.

One suggestion, staying with Schaum's, is SIGNALS and SYSTEMS where Hsu does an OK job with engineering transforms including Laplace. It's more systems oriented than circuits, but you'll get a better feel for the application of transforms to engineering problems & the engineering math behind them from this book.