Presents the ultimate interactive resource for consulting engineers, mechanical, electrical, & architectural engineers, as well as engineering & academic libraries. System requirements: IBM PC or compatible: 486 or higher processor, Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or higher, 16 MB RAM, 25 MB hard-disk space, & SVGA monitor. CD-ROM included.
This disc is derived from the printed resource Standard Handbook of Engineering Calculations (3d ed., 1995). There are six section headings, followed by chapter headings, followed by a list of topics (sometimes followed by a definition of the topic and references to other books), and then the actual problems, which link to step-by-step instructions explaining how to solve them. The problems are well described, and the solutions are well written. The fun and interesting part of this disc is the inclusion of MathCad7, which offers users the ability to calculate and change the solutions as they work. The program functions wellAit is very easy to adjust and manipulate calculations, a valuable addition to the text. The problem with this product is that some sections and calculations require the use of charts and tables that are in other texts, such as the printed version of this work or the ASHRAE Guide and Data Book. If these tools (or their more current versions) are not supplied near terminals offering this disc, or ondisc themselves, then users will have trouble finding the answers to the problems that sent them to Solution Suite in the first place. (It seems ironic that the disc refers the user to the print resource.) I was told by ASHRAE that the edition to which the disc refers is out-of-date, but a four-volume Handbook series has grown out of the ASHRAE Guide. The Bottom Line: Despite the reservations noted above, the addition of MathCad7 makes The Engineer's Solution Suite very useful over the printed version for solving problems. Recommended for libraries where Standard Handbook of Engineering Calculations is heavily used.AMary Frances Angelini, Cabot Science Lib., Harvard Univ. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
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