Vectors and Tensors By Example: Including Cartesian Tensors, Quaternions, and Matlab Examples

When it comes to using tensors in physical situations, such as the analysis of the anisotropic properties of crystals like as piezoelectricity, there needs to be an accessible text for the uninitiated in tensors; this text is where you start. The text deals with the fundamentals of matrix algebra, cartesian tensors, and topics such as tensor calculus and tensor analysis in a clear manner. It is a wonderful text that is clear and concise, and is highly recommended.

Enjoyable to read, the worked examples being very useful

Very good book, gives good details in deriving equations.

Also a very cheap print but the very best tensor book for beginners with a level for high school seniors!

This is the third time I'm trying to study tensors, all my other tentatives were a failure because I always ended up really confused. But this book in really doing the job, simply because the author dedicated a whole chapter to demystify index notation, with a lot of examples and nothing is left obscure. After you understand index notation and get the hang out of it, you are really prepared to tackle out the rest of the content. I'm really happy that I came across this book and gave it a chance. It's quite expensive, it's not hardcover, but the content is top notch!-- update --A little update, since I advanced a little more into the book. There are some examples in it that aren't examples, there are just problems with answers with no development. It's really weird because they are inside the "examples" section, there are other examples with the development (and this is of course how it should be for examples) and there is indeed a section of problems at the end of each chapter. I really don't know why the author simply forgot to write the development, it doesn't make sense. One last thing, there are no answers for the problems.

Il miglior libro che abbia mai letto di introduzione al calcolo vettoriale e tensoriale in quanto a chiarezza .lo consiglio per iniziare a qualsiasi studente dei primi anni di una facoltà scientifica.Avendolo letto si può proseguire rapidamente con testi più impegnativi.

This book is excellent. I recommend.I am a beginner in the study of Tensor Calculus (TC) and has picked up several books to understand this subject.Many books skip important parts or explain the subject of confusing or obscure.This book is the best book to start on this subject. It explains everything in detail, clearly, teaching and excellent thread. Correlates the symbolic notation, matrix, indicial and grafical (when applicable).I recommend this book to all who wish to start in TC and even for those who want to lighten topics already known.I desire to appear any book on Continuum Mechanics with the same teaching, clarity and objectivity of Professor Haskell.

First of all, an earlier edition of this book was published in a Programmed Instruction format (ISBN: 0-13-500942-1, Prentice-Hall) in 1972. The current text differs due to the absence of the Programmed Instruction format and the presence of Matlab code used for calculating cross products, dot products, magnitudes of vectors, and solving systems of linear equations, etc. Without Matlab the reader will be at a disadvantage. In addition, no solutions manual is available for the problems at the end of the 14 chapters! There is no indication as to where one could be found. If one is available, I apologize. The book published in 1972 provided solutions to all problems. If one could find a copy of this earlier edition it would be a good idea to try it first. However, the earlier version doesn't cover Quaternions. I own both of these books. The new issue of the text has better graphics and an index.The remainder of this review involves the new book: Vectors and Tensors By Example(ISBN: 978-151553115, Richard E. Haskell, Inc.)If you are completely new to the world of Vectors and Tensors, make sure that you are comfortable with multivariable calculus. If you are not comfortable, don't give up! This book actually does an excellent job in strengthening one's background in deriving vector and tensor relationships in 3-D to describe physical phenomena. The thing I find to be most useful is the utility of Einstein summation notation in the compact description and manipulation of scalars, vectors and, tensors. If you aren't familiar with it don't panic. It may take a while to get use to. However, once it starts to sink in, its utility is indisputable. You will wonder how you survived without it!As you read this book and do the exercises, you'll begin to feel comfortable with the Divergence Theorem, Stokes' Theorem, Green's Identities, and how to derive and apply them. As you progress through the book you will be able to recall various proofs, with understanding, on your own. The book has some cosmetic pluses: the print is large, the pages are uncluttered, the figures are very helpful, there are many worked examples in the body of the text. Don't be discouraged by the number of pages, 307. The amount of print on each page leaves a lot of white space, which facilitates reading.The difficulty with the book increases rapidly starting with Chapter 10 and remains that way for remaining Chapters 11, 12, 13, and 14. These five Chapters comprise Tensor Analysis and Quaternions which may loosely be consider to involve coordinate systems that are not orthogonal(axes intersecting at 90 degree angles) and limited to 3-dimensions. At this point the ability to visualize what is occurring is not possible.That being said this book may be an excellent starting point for those interested in the field and have a very solid background in 3-D calculus and/or willing to challenge themselves! I am giving this book 4 stars because it doesn't provide solutions to the end-of-chpter problems.Finally, I have one other complaint. The book is difficult to keep open as one reads and attempts to work the problems The earlier book was about 2 inches longer in height and width but of the same thickness; it stayed open to the selected pages. The missing solutions to the indicated problem and/or lack of a reference to their availability is the only reason I reduced my rating to 4 stars..