Thursday, January 21, 2010

Field and Wave Electromagnetics (International Edition) By David K. Cheng

Field and Wave Electromagnetics (International Edition) By David K. Cheng


 
* * * Publisher:* Pearson Education
* * * Number Of Pages:* 71
* * * Publication Date:* 1989-01-01
* * * ISBN-10 / ASIN:* 0201528207
* * * ISBN-13 / EAN:* 9780201528206
* * * Binding:* Paperback


Summary: lowest price for small trade off
Rating: 5

the book was in a decent condition with only one problem. The picture showed hard cover and US edition but recieved a low-price edition with paper cover but the contents are the same.


Summary: Second will be better
Rating: 4

This is the textbook for my sophomore electromagnetics in the electrical engineering. I have to admit I really hated this class then. One is that there are equations here and there and it usually clouds the issue. Another reason is that the author uses the deduction method to describe this topic. It is quite different from the traditional way which goes following the historical developments.

For some reasons, I need to refresh electromagnetics in later years. I re-studied this book and then found it written pretty well this time. It is well-organized and systematic. One weak spot is the explanation for physics. I think it should be made better so that it is easier for readers to absorb the knowledge instead of confused by those mathematical equations.

This book is rather classic, which means it stays at the balance of electromagnetic statics and dynamics. Many recent electromagnetic textbooks are more focused on electromagnetic waves at the expense of the electromagnetic statics. I don't think this is a wise decision since electromagnetic statics is still very important in the real world applications, for example RF IC design.

This book is published almost 20 years ago. But don't regard it as out of date. Based on my acamedic and industrial experience, it is still the best engineering electromagnetic textbook for undergraduates.


Summary: Seeing God (not the author, the creator of the world)
Rating: 5

You will finally understand what light is - 10 years after you take the course.

Yes, 2 years after you take the course, you get to arrange waves that can go easily back and forth from wave equations(insane vector calculus) to circuit equations(simple V=IR).

Yes, combined with clever Fourier math, you get to calculate impedance as vector reflection waves, so that you see (through Smith-Chart night vision like mental glasses) the waves invisible to human eyes (but visible to some animals) and make them oscillate/up-down-mix as an EE engineer making a living.

But James Maxwell's math is the only thing interesting in the world, which the book says that well. God made the waves and nothing more. If you want to make stories out of the context or take words out of the context (many books try and do), you give yourself trouble. Yes, we give ourselves troubles all our life. And you will see that in this book. This is life.

Everyone in this world needs to understand how a wave of light is made.

J. Curtis Gibson


Summary: Ugh...
Rating: 2

This book was horrid. I was bombing the class all year with this text, until I bought REA's electromagnetics problem solver. Going into the final, I had maybe a B. By studying the REA book and working my [...] off before the final, I got that up to a final mark of A-. The physics students at my school used Griffith's electrmagnetics book, and they seemed to enjoy that book a lot more.

This book was slightly better when I took a waveguides course... imagine my disgust when I found out we were using this book, again! Even the waveguides sections were still quite weak, though, but they do keep me from rating this book a 1.


Summary: Excellent Text
Rating: 5

While I took Electromagnetic Fields I & II courses using the first and last half of this text, I also purchased other solutions manuals and texts to survive. This was, to me, by far the most clearly written and well-presented text.
16 years after having taken the course, I'm doing a cover-to-cover review of this book and given my industry experience I appreciate the excellence of this book even more. The downside to using it is that I've found a real difficulty in locating the Solutions Manual, leaving me to use others where there's always changes in variables, orderin

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