Book Review: Engineering Formulas

Engineering Formulas

Eight Edition

Writen by Kurt Gieck and Reiner Gieck

Published by McGraw-Hill

Copyright 2006 by Gieck Publishing

ISBN 0-07-145774-7

I bought this book several years ago. I have read portions of this book; especially in the sections on Arithmetic, Functions of a Circle, Analytical Geometry, Electrical Engineering and Control Engineering.

This book is exactly what the title purports it to be: A comprehensive handbook of engineering formulas covering every every aspect of engineering. It covers all math topics required for a BS degree in any engineering field; From algebra to geometry to calculus to differential equations to laplace transforms.

It covers Statistics, Kinematics, Dynamics, Hydraulics, Production Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Control Engineering and other engineering topics.

The book has 26 chapters labeled A through Z. The pages in each chapter have the label followed by the page number: A1, A2, etc. The formulas are presented and the variables defined in a very concise manner. The book uses three standards: BS, DIN and VDI. Hence, the notation used in the book may seem strange to some readers, but not impossible to figure out. Having taken up mechanical engineering as my minor in college, I was introduced to the majority of the engineering topics in the book except chapter Q: Machine Parts.

This book quickly became one of my favorite books. I pick up this book and browse through it often stopping to read a particular section whenever I have time to do so. I have the hard cover edition. Physically, it is about the size of a paperback novel. Throughout the majority of the book, the back pages are blank to allow space for notes.

The book provides brief explanations on the topics it covers. My major in college was electrical engineering. The book has excellent coverage of electrical engineering. It does cover some topics in Electronics, but not in the manner one might expect. Instead of covering specific circuits and electronic components, it covers Control Engineering which encompasses many formulas needed such as transfer functions, phase margin, overshoot, stability, etc.

Anyone in the field of Engineering will find this book a valuable quick reference. I highly recommend it.