Schaum's Outline of Vector Analysis

Book Description

This book introduces students to vector analysis, a concise way of presenting certain kinds of equations and a natural aid for forming mental pictures of physical and geometrical ideas. Students of the physical sciences and of physics, mechanics, electromagnetic theory, aerodynamics and a number of other fields will find this a rewarding and practical treatment of vector analysis. Key points are made memorable with the hundreds of problems with step-by-step solutions, and many review questions with answers.

Customer Reviews:

You won't be disappointed.......2007-07-20

This book is worth a whole lot more than the paltry sum they're charging. You really can't go wrong with any mathematics or physics material authored by Murray Spiegel but this text is in a class by itself. Even though it's a Schaum's "Outline", you'll find that it's actually a first rate textbook. I'd say it's an outstanding learning tool given the fact that I found myself actually enjoying working through it!

Superb! Easy to Understand.......2007-01-27

Hooray! Spiegel does a wonderful job of summarizing Vector Analysis simply and to the point. His definitions and explanations are concise and down-to-earth. Keep in mind this is an outline, and the format remains that way. But this is an extremely effective resource for this subject-- well done, IMO.

The examples are often proofs, but are also a comprehensive overview of applications and standard problems. One criticism: sometimes, Spiegel introduces 'new' concepts (e.g. Jacobians) in the problems without defining them in the outline text. So you have to go through the sample problems (with answers!) to get all the stuff that's in the text. Also, if this is your first exposure to Vector Analysis, the problems are just problems, without a lot of background explanation. Much is self-explanatory, but once in a while, especially without previous Vector Analysis exposure, I can see where it would be a bit overwhelming to just jump into it. There isn't a lot of context for some of the non-proof problems. I've read/studied other books on the subject, so I'm not completely new to the field (but I am certainly no expert, either!)

The last chapter on Tensor Analysis covers a ton of material in one lengthy chapter. A separate source on this complex subject would be a better way of approaching this area. Still, the definitions remains quite straight-forward and to the point, and the sample problems provide a nice overview. Call it a good quick-reference.

A didactical masterpiece.......2006-03-25

I bought this book many years ago and soon I felt it extraordinary. My idea has not changed along years. Clear, comprehensive, readable, even pleasant. You can really learn vector analysis step by step without a teacher. And you learn to use what you learn. All topics about vectors are explored, included differential operators and some differential geometry. It covers also tensor analysis (the last two chapter are on curvilinear coodinates and tensor). In my opinion there is a little more than a mere introduction to this subject. When I began to study tensors, I did't find a book that is completely satisfaying for a beginner. I turned out to my old Spiegel and the light was. Read first the last two chapters of Spiegel when you begin with tensors: you will understand basics concepts and you will avoid troubles. I feel to owe a debt of gratitude to this book and its Author. A true didactical masterpiece.

Excellent stand-alone introduction to vector analysis.......2006-03-08

I own many Schaum's outlines, and several by Mr. Spiegel, the author of this book. Mr. Spiegel's outlines have always been among the most excellent of the Schaum's outline series and this one is no exception.
This book is so clear and complete it can stand alone as a textbook in vector analysis, and it is much cheaper than all of the alternatives. Besides being of help to students in pure mathematics, it should also prove helpful to students of physics, mechanics, and especially electromagnetic theory, where visualization of problems and conversion of that visualization into equations that can be solved are the hardest parts of the course. This book will help with all of that.
Topics include the algebra and differential and integral calculus of vectors, Stokes' Theorem, the divergence theorem, plus other integral theorems together with applications drawn from many fields. There is also additional material on curvilinear coordinates and tensor analysis that will be very helpful to students of advanced engineering, physics, and mathematics. Highly recommended for anyone who has already had two semesters of calculus.

Very Helpful Reference.......2005-10-07

I have been using this book in conjunction with Stewart's Multivariable Calculus (a book that fails in many aspects) for my Multivariable Calculus class. This explains vector operators much better than Stewart does, and for a little over $12, that is less than 1/10 of the price of Stewart.

The quality of print in this edition is excellent. The reviewer below must have found a very old edition of this book in the library somewhere. Spiegel is good at explaining things, and helpful references like vector differentiation/integration tables are summarized and included.

Overall, well worth the money.

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Purchase from Amazon
A good source of problems, but a somewhat muddled narrative
Too Brief!
Useful and practical Electronic Book
Great source for worked probs

Schaum's Outline of Electromagnetics
Joseph Edminister
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0070212341

Book Description

SchaumÕs Outline of Electromagnetics is the perfect study aidÑloaded with solved problems and thorough descriptions of electromagnetics concepts, in plain English. Used along with your textbook, it helps you prepare for classroom exams, broadens your level of comprehension, and develops your intuitive problem-solving ability. Featuring hundreds of completely solved problemsÑworked out step by stepÑthis popular SchaumÕs Outline shows you how to solve the kinds of problems you will find on your tests. So complete it can be used alone as an independent study course, itÕs also compatible with any course text. For better grades in courses covering electromagneticsÑyou canÕt do better than this SchaumÕs Outline!

Customer Reviews:

Purchase from Amazon.......2007-03-22

I feel the transaction went well and i am always thinking of getting some good items as a reflection comes back to me. I thought initally it will delay but at a twinkle of an eye, ooops i was told my parcel arrived
Keep the good work up.
Cheers

A good source of problems, but a somewhat muddled narrative.......2006-12-20

This is an excellent source of problems if you are an undergraduate electrical engineering student enrolled in a class concerned with electromagnetics, which is probably one of the toughest courses you'll face as an undergraduate. Although the selection of problems is excellent, there is something to be desired with the explanation sections of most chapters. The author makes numerous references in equations to vectors that he fails to identify either verbally, or with a diagram. Also, I thought there were insufficient diagrams to adequately convey the concepts being presented.

I also thought it was odd that the first chapter was dedicated to such an elementary concept as vector analysis when there are much more complex mathematical concepts such as multivariable calculus and partial differential equations being used throughout the book that are not given an explanation. If you are studying electromagnetics, the best textbook out there is "Engineering Electromagnetics" by Nathan Ida. Ida explains absolutely everything about electromagnetics, and the problems in this Schaum's outline complement both the material and the problems in that book very well. The last few chapters in this Schaum's are on antennas and waveguides. It is a nice overview, but it is a somewhat shallow treatment.

A good supplement for that material is a 1968 Schaum's outline that is now out of print - "Schaum's Outline on the Theory and Problems of Transmission Lines" (ISBN 0070107475). It contains complete treatments of impedance and admittance matching topics, Smith chart fundamentals, plus many good worked examples and practice problems. The only drawback of this older outline is that the techniques used don't incorporate more of the modern numerical methods that are now more prevalent.

Too Brief!.......2005-09-23

It appears that the author assumes readers will already have a good understanding of calculus, vectors, and a somewhat advanced knowledge of electrostatics and electromagnetism! Readers without this background will likely struggle with the material!

I have a reasonable background (to tertiary level) in mathematics and electrical engineering, but I still found this book difficult to follow in many parts!

The reviews of theory at the beginning of chapters, are a bit too brief and therefore difficult to understand!

Many solved calculations leave out intermediate steps, which makes it difficult to follow. The calculations should include all steps in their derivation and solutions, so that there would be no misunderstanding on how the solutions are determined.

Therefore, this edition is NOT recommended for most people. This book is apparently only suitable for people who have a thorough knowledge of electrostatics, electromagnetics, calculus, and vectors.

To make this book more practical and attractive to others, the material needs to be rewritten and expanded!

Useful and practical Electronic Book.......2005-08-30

Electromagnetism is a hard subject for many people, including myself. Schaums Outline of Electromagnetics, by Edminister, is an outstanding collection of problems and solutions more even when a companion in Electromagnetics using Mathcad, the leading technical calculation software. The big advantage of the interactive Outline is its use of LiveMath. You can change the starting parameters of a problem and watch as graphs are calculated in front your eyes.

The student will find this is an exciting tool for exploring the universal laws governing electromagnetic waves and for gaining intuition about how various parameters affect the solution to problems.

Finally, I am sure that the educator in physics and engineering will find a comprehensive selection of laboratory and homework exercises in Mathcad, with plenty of room for creativity and expansion.

Great source for worked probs.......2004-04-14

This book does what my class book (Hayt) doesn't--give a plethera of worked problems. I sit in class and watch my prof prove theorems, read Hyat's book that discusses the "why", and had difficulties pulling it all together. I NEEDED EXAMPLE PROBS! Schaum's proved extremely beneficial to me and I will probably not take any more EE courses without it as a supplement. If you need to look at detailed example problems to study and do your homework, this book is a no brainer if you want to pass this difficult topic.

The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy.

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Powerful data and arguments
povocative and meticulously researched!
Europe Got Lucky
nonsense
Somewhat Innovative, Hard to Read

The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy.
Kenneth Pomeranz
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691090106

Book Description

Pomeranz argues that Europe's nineteenth-century divergence from the Old World owes much to the fortunate location of coal, which substituted for timber. This made Europe's failure to use its land intensively much less of a problem, while allowing growth in energy-intensive industries. Another crucial difference that he notes has to do with trade. Fortuitous global conjunctures made the Americas a greater source of needed primary products for Europe than any Asian periphery. This allowed Northwest Europe to grow dramatically in population, specialize further in manufactures, and remove labor from the land, using increased imports rather than maximizing yields. Together, coal and the New World allowed Europe to grow along resource-intensive, labor-saving paths.

Meanwhile, Asia hit a cul-de-sac. Although the East Asian hinterlands boomed after 1750, both in population and in manufacturing, this growth prevented these peripheral regions from exporting vital resources to the cloth-producing Yangzi Delta. As a result, growth in the core of East Asia's economy essentially stopped, and what growth did exist was forced along labor-intensive, resource-saving paths--paths Europe could have been forced down, too, had it not been for favorable resource stocks from underground and overseas.

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The Great Divergence brings new insight to one of the classic questions of history: Why did sustained industrial growth begin in Northwest Europe, despite surprising similarities between advanced areas of Europe and East Asia? As Ken Pomeranz shows, as recently as 1750, parallels between these two parts of the world were very high in life expectancy, consumption, product and factor markets, and the strategies of households. Perhaps most surprisingly, Pomeranz demonstrates that the Chinese and Japanese cores were no worse off ecologically than Western Europe. Core areas throughout the eighteenth-century Old World faced comparable local shortages of land-intensive products, shortages that were only partly resolved by trade. Pomeranz argues that Europe's nineteenth-century divergence from the Old World owes much to the fortunate location of coal, which substituted for timber. This made Europe's failure to use its land intensively much less of a problem, while allowing growth in energy-intensive industries. Another crucial difference that he notes has to do with trade. Fortuitous global conjunctures made the Americas a greater source of needed primary products for Europe than any Asian periphery. This allowed Northwest Europe to grow dramatically in population, specialize further in manufactures, and remove labor from the land, using increased imports rather than maximizing yields. Together, coal and the New World allowed Europe to grow along resource-intensive, labor-saving paths. Meanwhile, Asia hit a cul-de-sac. Although the East Asian hinterlands boomed after 1750, both in population and in manufacturing, this growth prevented these peripheral regions from exporting vital resources to the cloth-producing Yangzi Delta.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful data and arguments.......2007-04-26

Kenneth Pomeranz's The Great Divergence reinforces some arguments of Frank's ReOrient and reformulates some others. Like Frank, Pomeranz argues that European economy was not unusually different from or superior to the economies of China and Japan until the 19th century. Like Frank, Pomeranz also argues that the critical factors that made possible the rise of Europe were external rather than internal factors. However, unlike Frank who explained the rise of the West in the 19th century through "the fall of Asia" in the previous century, Pomeranz attributes the nineteenth-century divergence between the European economy and the Asian economies to Europe's coal and New World's land that jointly relived the ecological constraints of the nineteenth-century Europeans.

Explaining Pre-Divergence Similarities:

Pomeranz starts his book with comparisons of European and Asian economies in 16th through 18th centuries. A difference in Pomeranz's approach is that he prefers to compare "regions" rather than countries. He argues that such places as Yangzi Delta, The Kanto plain, Britain, the Netherlands, and Gujarat, shared some crucial features with each other, which they did not share with the rest of the world or subcontinent around them. Thus, he prefers to compare these special areas directly rather than within the larger "arbitrary" continental units (p. 8).

Pomeranz first demonstrates that there were no significant differences between England, China, and Japan in terms of average standards of life. Average life expectancy and calorie intake were at comparable levels in all three countries. In the same vein, the European had no superiority to Asians with respect to technology and mining. China was ahead of Europe in physical science, mathematics, and maternal and infant health. Europe's irrigation technology also lagged behind China, India, and Japan. Even as late as first half of the 19th century, Indian iron was reported to be superior to English iron (pp. 44-6). If Europe had any real technological edge in the 18th century, it was not in tools or machines, but in "instruments" such as clocks, watches, telescopes, and eyeglasses (p. 67).

Pomeranz then tries to show that differences in terms of labor and land markets in Europe and China in 16th through 18th centuries were significant and did not always favor Europe so that they would be a viable explanation for the later divergence. Indeed, overall China was closer to market economy than was most of Europe, including most of "western" Europe. Much of Western Europe's farmland was harder to buy and sell than that of China. In Yangzi Valley, for example, close to half of land was rented (p. 72-3). This was also similar in labor market. Labor was not less free in China than in Europe (pp. 80-1). Thus, Pomeranz concludes that Europe's factor markets for land and labor "seem no closer to Smithian ideas of freedom and efficiency than do those of China, and perhaps a good deal less so," (p. 107).

Part II of The Great Divergence deals with the less-analyzed issue of consumption. Pomeranz takes issue with Sombart and some others' argument that Europe a produced a unique "consumer society" that provided a demand base for industrial revolution. Pomeranz challenges the "consumer society" argument on two grounds. On the one side, he demonstrates that the rise in the European consumption of such luxury goods as tea, sugar, and tobacco was very incremental until the 19th century. He therefore asserts that imagining an irreversible "birth of a consumer society" before 1850 may be seriously misleading (p. 119). On the other side, he demonstrates that consumption of these everyday luxury goods were at comparable levels in China and Japan. The consumption of durable luxuries (furniture, pictures, china, books, jewelry, etc.) was not significantly different in these three regions either (pp. 130-1). Thus, Europe did not have any type of "consumer society" advantage vis-à-vis China and Japan that would give her a head start in the competition to rise. I should also note that European figures as to consumption of luxury goods refute the arguments on "European" miracle as well. Pomeranz demonstrates that, if anything, it was a British, and to lesser extent Dutch, revolution and not a European one until 1850 (pp. 119).

To sum up the first part, Pomeranz demonstrates that Europe was not exceptionally different from China or Japan in terms of production, market regulation, or the consumption of luxury goods. Given this similarity of internal factors, Pomeranz turns to external linkages to explain the nineteenth-century divergence.

Explaining the Divergence:

A weakness in Andre Gunder Frank's book was that he could not adequately account for the "rise of the West" in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Frank's argument was that Asian economies were altogether facing a Kondratieff B-cycle in the first half of the 18th century and this allowed Europe to finally outdo the Asians. He therefore asserts that "the fall of Asia" preceded European political and military intervention in Asian nations (ReOrient, pp. 266-8). Pomeranz finds this argument impressionistic and discards it on the grounds that population growth and ecological effects that were argued to make China "fall" were present in Europe as well. Thus, he asserts, "if Europe was not yet in crisis, then in all likelihood China was not either," (p. 12).

Pomeranz argues that the primary problem that both European and Asian nations were facing by 18th century were the ecological constraints that resulted from increasing population and scarce land. Therefore, the real and long-lasting solution would necessitate land-saving innovations rather than labor-saving ones.
As such, industrial revolution was a cause of later European rise than result of previous European exceptionality.

A Conclusion:
When compared with Frank's ReOrient, Pomeranz's The Great Divergence is more robust and convincing in two respects. First, it does not have a "Sinocentrism" bias and argues that the pre-1800 world was "a polycentric world with no dominant center," (p. 4). Second, it tries to explain the rise of Europe in the 19th century with substantive factors rather than mysterious Kondratieff cycles. In that respect, The Great Divergence is a nice remedy to the gaps and problems in ReOrient. However, I think that Pomeranz's downplaying the importance of profits that European made through colonialism is misleading. In evaluating the role of colonial profit-extraction in Europe's rise, one should take into account its impact on the continuation and spread of industrial revolution as well as on industrial revolution itself. Even if the spark of the industrial revolution could be lighted without the profits made in the New World, the fire of industrial revolution would not have survived a couple decades if it were not for the colonial resources and markets.

povocative and meticulously researched!.......2006-05-25

The strengths: Very provocative, aiming straight at conventional wisdom, be it euro-centric or world-system ones. Solid research behind the comparative study of Europe, China, and to a lesser extend, Japan. Pomeranz gives out hard evidence in life-expectacy, birth rates, market condition, ecological stress etc., hightlighting striking similarites between these socities in the 18th century.

Some readers may have problem with his conclusion that industrialization went ahead only because Europe got lucky in the convenient location of coal and the readily available resourses of the new world. However, just because these are paramount factors does not mean that they are all it needed. Put another way, had China got the same good fortune, it does not necessarily follow that China would industrilize, nor has Pomeranz argued this way.

Weaknesses: The writing is BAD, very convoluted. However, the most important failure is that Pomeranz treats these societies as though they were static. He failed to take into consideration their difference in the RATE of change. The fact that Europe was playing a catch up to Asia through-out the middle ages, and achieved par in pre-modern time, had to imply a quicker pulse. Europe's gradual opening of the mind (reformation ,renaissance), was roughly concurrent with China's gradual closing (the advent of neo-confucianism, ossification of the civil examination system). It's hard to believe that this change of fortune had no long-lasting impact on the underlying dynamics of the societes. Culture does matter, it's just been given a bad name by the likes of Huntington and Landes:)

Europe Got Lucky.......2006-02-13

Pomeranz advances the thesis that Europe's rise to world power (instead of a potentially similar but not historically realized rise by China, Japan, or India) was not caused by any internal social advantage possessed by western Europe-at least not principally caused. Pomeranz uses extensive research to demonstrate that western Europe, China, and Japan were not fundamentally different societies at the beginning of the modern era. The author maintains that Europe had the good fortune of having the land and mineral resources of the New World available at the right time, along with the conveniently-located coal resources of England; and it is this collection of fortuitous advantages that enabled Europe to propel itself into industrial revolution and world power.

The premise of the book is promising. The meat of the book can be a bit difficult to chew. The author compares the human, energy, land, and other resources of Europe and China in great detail to make his case. The sheer volume of facts and figures can make the going slow. Still, it's worth reading all of what the author has to say.

Overall, the argument is compelling. All three societies (western Europe, China, and Japan) were faced with populations that had more-or-less come in line with the carrying capacities of their lands based on the level of technology of the day. Additional agricultural productivity could only have come with additional inputs of labor into the existing stock of land. This is essentially what happened in China. Western Europe, led by England, went the way of labor-saving techniques and technologies that would not have been practicable without access to the additional agricultural potential and mineral wealth of the New World. Other factors, such as financial institutions and internal competition fade in importance before the simple math of carrying capacity.

The Great Divergence is quality reading. One does not have to agree with everything contained in the book to absorb the basic point: Europe got lucky. Be prepared to wade through an appropriately generous supply of facts and figures to back Pomeranz's claim.

nonsense.......2005-12-05

In "The Great Divergence", Kenneth Pomeranz presents an exhaustive investigation of the minutest differences and similarities in development of China and Western Europe. His claim, and stated objective, is to show that Europe's emergence as a preeminent power was the result of privileged access to overseas colonies, exploitation of non-Europeans, and a fortunate `geographic accident' of the location of coal in England. However, considering China's significant, and much earlier, developments in science, technology, and shipping, not to mention their huge deposits of coal, and its use some 600 years before the Europeans to make iron, it's difficult to understand Pomeranz's rationalization of those claims and ultimately the whole point of his book.

His specialty and interests clearly lie in China. In this book he attempts to shed a somewhat biased benevolent light on China by explaining the violent circumstances that led to the industrial revolution in Europe, and why it didn't happen in China. He presents a comparative analysis in such close, tortuous, detail that he becomes myopic in drawing his conclusions. His joy and skill clearly lie in analysis, rather than synthesis, and in the process, and among the ensuing debris, he loses a view of the whole as processes of nation building rather than competing sets of historical data. The outcome notwithstanding, he consistently paints each step in the process of growth in Europe and its colonies as a violent and ugly stepsister to a more sophisticated, benign version taking place in China. All of which may be true, but he discounts the effects of institutions, capital markets, capital accumulation, and regulatory competition in Europe as having marginal effect on the difference in outcome between the two areas because in his opinion what was happening in Europe was so similar to what was going on in China. He states that "European science, technology, and philosophical inclinations alone do not seem an adequate explanation, and alleged differences in economic institutions seem largely irrelevant".

Regulatory competition in Europe, for Pomeranz, equates to military competition. Although it could be argued from a more objective perspective that military research and development regularly spins off technological advances applicable in commercial areas, Pomeranz claims that in Europe `the net effect of warfare on technological innovation is likely to have been negative'. Clearly not true, but his argument about it possibly killing off other inventors was kind of funny. The development of institutions and property rights arising from this competition for him equals only the purchases of position, interference of guild control, and the granting monopoly privileges. He claims that all served to keep prices high, limit the extent of markets, and restrict output. The most positive function of `military' competition seen by Pomeranz is in the overseas projection of power. This lies in contrast to his claim that China was engaged in competitive trade with low margins, unprivileged by the state, that couldn't generate enough profits to finance a European style military capitalism. Here he ignores the Chinese obsession with intensive land use to feed its armies. The vast differences between the European states and the diversity of politics, social constructs, and institutions therein will show that had any single one of them been dominant the story of Europe, and the world, would have been very much different. Had the Chinese the benefit of this fracture, the voyages of Zheng He would have been continued, but when he died, the Confucians were regaining power and There was no political or spiritual will to continue. They felt that other nations had nothing to offer the already prosperous Chinese and they had no need to conquer their souls. Their voyages were ended, their fleets were dismantled and they turned inward. It became a crime to set sail from China in a multi-masted ship. This was their choice. One nation, one choice. Had there been competition among states in China, someone, somewhere would have chosen to continue.

As far as ethical systems and ideology are concerned, Pomeranz doesn't consider the consequences of differing motivation but only writes that philosophical inclinations do not seem an adequate explanation of divergent paths. Lost in analysis of the details of the similarities, here he misses the significance of the differences. Arguing that they were too small to create the large disparities in outcomes, he fails to ask whether those differences were what led to different choices. The differences in the ethical systems of Christian Western Europe and Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist China are enormous. The differences in the choices made within the context of those systems, especially within the protestant reformation and the creation of the Church of England, are significant. Pomeranz claims that ideology, or `philosophical inclinations', can't explain the different outcomes in the fortunes of China and Europe, but it was ideology and philosophy that led to the divergence in their development paths. Western Europe's history of fighting Muslims to keep them at bay and out of Europe established their crusading zeal to protect themselves by trying to convert everyone they could find. They embodied this fear and hegemonic drive and made Christian solipsism an imperative part of their culture. Vasco Da Gama said that the objectives of his voyages were "Christians and Spices". This dogmatic drive of the Europeans and their churches' implicit consent of their conquests and colonialism lent a higher power to their expansion. The Chinese chose not to continue their voyages. The Europeans were on a mission from God.

In this book, great tenaciousness in presenting historical data meets an astounding lack of insight into behavior and economics, and leaves the reader (at least me anyway) wondering why it was written in the first place.

Somewhat Innovative, Hard to Read.......2005-11-24

This book does a good job of criticizing many Anglo-centric explanations of why Europeans industrialized first by providing detailed evidence that the area near the Yangzi river delta was mostly as advanced as England when England started the industrial revolution.
It does a less convincing job of arguing that coal and new world land were the main reasons for England's success. I'm tempted to believe that American sugar provided desperately needed calories to break out of a Malthusian trap, but the evidence doesn't show that became significant until the industrial revolution had already started.
Conveniently located coal undoubtedly gave England a boost, but not a big enough boost that there is a practical way to decide it was more important than the numerous cultural differences which might have given England the edge it needed.
The book makes a serious effort to dismiss those cultural explanations, but is not thorough enough. In particular, I'm disappointed with the cryptic way that it dismisses the relevance of the ideas in Helmut Schoeck's book Envy.
The style is often deadening, with lengthy descriptions of details whose relevance is unobvious.

The Channel Divergences: Deeper Pathways of the Web

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The Channel Divergences: Deeper Pathways of the Web

The Channel Divergences: Deeper Pathways of the Web
Miki Shima , and Charles Chace
Manufacturer: Blue Poppy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1891845152

Customer Reviews:

The Channel Divergences: Deeper Pathways of the Web.......2003-09-13

I bought The Channel Divergences (Shima & Chace) after reading a review elsewhere and felt I must comment on this book.

This book is full of mistakes, typo's, and inconsistencies. My copy came with a sheet titled "errata" tucked into the inside cover (there's a typo on that sheet too). It listed about 10 major corrections in diagrams of the book. Mind you, this is a revised edition I bought and it still had mistakes.

Then I started reading the book. Mistakes abound. For example, in the footnotes after chapter 8 (pp. 197-200) on Miki Shima's Approach, I found close to 100 mistakes, if not more! I couldn't help but think that if the author's are so careless (or lazy) to run a spellchecker on these pages, did they even bother to check the acupuncture points they listed for use in their method? I have no way to determine if they are correct or not.

I complained to Honora Wolf of Blue Poppy, the publishers of this book, and she told me this book was "the low water mark" in their publishing. However, even she wasn't aware of the footnote mistakes! Honora was very kind though and told me she would send me a corrected version. I expected a new book but what I received was a cheesy patch job on the copy I had bought. ("Tacky" is another good way to describe this copy.) Blue Poppy's solution was to photocopy corrections onto label paper and stick them in the book.

Even though the book has a disclaimer about mistakes and omissions, my personal feeling is that if you are selling a book this bad (and you know it) you need to recall it and replace it with a corrected version. After all, medical practitioners probably are trying the book's advice on their patients. (Hopefully they haven't hurt anyone.) I suspect that those who first bought this book in 2001 when it was first published may not even know there are mistakes in it.

Shame on Dr's Shima and Chace and Blue Poppy for failing to proofread this book. Shame on them even more for still pawning them off at $40 bucks a copy. My illusions of reading a scholarly book was shattered, as was my respect for those involved.

Book Description

A guide to the latest, most promising technical indicators and their applications

Momentum, direction, and divergence are the three basic components of nearly all technical indicators used in the analysis of stock and commodities trading. And for those who understand them and their applications, they are also the pillars of a high-performance trading strategy. In this groundbreaking book, technical wizard William Blau schools financial professionals in all three. Combining the latest financial information with dozens of eye-opening graphics, Blau clearly, concisely, and with a minimum of complex mathematics:

Introduces the principle of double smoothing and develops potent new indicators based on double smoothing techniques
Describes the uses and limitations of a variety of notable technical indicators
Explains momentum, direction, and divergence and new ways to apply them
Presents the True Strength Index and shows how it can dramatically improve most directional indicators
Provides new ways of identifying divergence that make implementation far simpler than ever before

MOMENTUM, DIRECTION, AND DIVERGENCE

The Wiley Trader's Advantage is a series of concise, highly focused books designed to keep savvy traders in tune with the latest successful strategies and techniques used by the keenest minds in the business.

In this latest volume, technical expert Bill Blau shows you how momentum, direction, and divergence form the basis of most technical indicators and how they can work for you to provide a considerable competitive advantage. Clearly, concisely, and with a minimum of complex mathematics, Blau shows you how to understand and apply them. Integrating the latest financial insights with more than 75 easy-to-follow graphics, Blau describes the uses and limitations of many of today's most notable technical indicators. He then demonstrates a variety of ways in which the principles of momentum, direction, and divergence can be used to create a versatile new set of technical indicators or to improve the effectiveness of the most widely used traditional indicators.

Focusing on the groundbreaking double smoothing concept, which he introduces for the first time in this book, William Blau:

Develops reliable new momentum indicators based on double smoothing techniques
Shows how these indicators improve the effectiveness of most popular oscillators, including the RSI, MACD, and stochastic indicators, by solving a host of timing problems
Combines the standard Welles Wilder techniques with his original True Strength Index to improve the effectiveness of most directional movement indicators
Introduces new ways of identifying divergence that make implementation simpler than ever
And much more

A complete guide to the most potent new indicators and their applications, Momentum, Direction, and Divergence is an indispensable resource for traders, portfolio managers, and all financial professionals.

Customer Reviews:

Great Conceptual Book for Double Smoothed Indicators.......2005-08-05

If you're a day trader with moderate success and an ability to tear apart the concepts, and Blau's basic examples, one or two of the indicators discussed could probably help you. If you're just wanting to learn more about momentum and/or double smoothed (practically any oscillating) indicators, or a neophyte, then this book is most likely over your head. The example "systems" that Blau expounds upon are a great basic start to good systems, and he tells you flat out that they're not complete, but just example-type systems. But I'll tell you this: The basic, incomplete systems in this book are a heck of a lot better than a huge majority of those "magic bullet" "get rich overnight" systems that cost three and more times the amount of this book! There is no magic bullet, but this book is a lot closer to making you into the magic bullet than most others.

If you're a beginner and don't have a powerhouse charting platform like e-Signal or TradeStation, I would suggest waiting to get this book (but definitely put it on your Wish List). If you already have the dedication, some experience, and something like e-Signal or TradeStation, then just fork out the money and get it. You should not be disappointed if you can actually read and apply information exactly as given, and are not expecting to receive that which does not exist, the magic bullet. Very strong foundation building book.

One more thing: Please don't expect that you will thoroughly understand the concepts with only one reading. The ideas Blau presents are fairly advanced (high intermediate level) and do take some personal evaluation, which will take time. I believe that this is a book that you will want to read at least once a month for the first six months, then at least once a year thereafter.

A great discussion of momentum.......2004-04-18

This is a book about momentum. It will show you what momentum is and how to interpret it. There are several vey unique indicators developped in a masterful way. You will get many new ideas, and should be able to improve your use of these indicators, and make better interpretation of other mainstream momentum indicators. You will understand smoothing and lag. A must read for any technician.

Not impressed.......2004-02-25

I thought this book was very short to begin with (only 104 pages of actual text, plus some small apendixes)...hardly worth $42 for a small amount of text. It's also very old (written in 1995). The content which is in the book is very difficult to apply because you really need a research tool (like tradestation) to apply these ideas. Numerous ideas in earlier chapters are brought back in later chapters and you have to go back and re-read to see what each indicator meant. I think all in all he just applies his idea of double smoothing to filter out misleading chart data....nothing revolutionary, and hardly worth the price.
Also, as odd as this may seem, with all the math involved, 90% of the charts which he derives from these mathematical formulas look exactly like a line chart of the security!
If you have access to tradestation, this book is worthwhile if you put the time into understanding all the concepts involved.

EXTREMELY great book.......2002-09-27

OK where did my previous review of this book go? I wrote it months ago was it lost?

Can't be bothered writing the whole thing again, so in summary: it is an excellent book, picks a main concept of smoothing and constructs some excellent indicators, and many different ones, has great ideas, inspires great ideas, has code / formulas you name it, extremely worthwhile for anyone who is serious and capable of putting these things into use.

That means constructing them and understanding them.

Some reviewers seem disappointed ... I suspect some people think "momentum" is some magic bullet that will get them into a stock before it moves, other reviewers are arguing definitions, all I can say is that when I first got hold of this book I took a look and did not really like it, but after working my way through it found it to be truly a gem.

Very worthwhile.

And where did my previous review go? grrrr

Decent Idea Generator.......2001-10-21

Ok, in the introduction to this book the author states this book is about price change and utilizing double smoothing as a means of determining entry and exit points. So, for the previous two reviewers, did you not read the intro, or the rest of the book? First, this is an intro into the subject and the use of EMAs is a common method (and he in fact discussed the lag inherent in this and other methods). Second, the book never purports to be about reading price patterns, it is about price change and the use of double smoothing so of course indicators will be its focus, indicators are a powerful (not sole) tool in many traders toolboxes. With that said, the author guides you through the True Strength Index, Stochastics, Tick Volume, Directional Trending - he includes their calculations and the Easylanguage Code for everything discussed in the book. That is something I like because some books, like Strategies for the Electronic Futures Trader by Bernstein do not include code and the systems are once again for the novice. The charts he displays are all daily charts so it is not even geared for the intraday trader if that is what you are after, but they do in many cases contain several subgraphs so you can compare the difference between the various indicators and their tendencies. The author also states clearly that these tools and the examples are not meant to be trading systems by themselves, so there are no black boxes here. Just ideas, so if you are looking for a new look at momentum or want to try something new with your own indicators this might be a nice book. I was able to pull a couple of ideas out that I am incorporating into my trading to better transition from trending to congestion (a large focus of the book). However, I checked this out of the library and it was worth the gas to pick it up, but would I have paid 40 bucks, now that I don't know. As for the reason I only gave it three stars is mainly for content, this is an ideas book, not anything more, and for its size I feel that to be a good rating.

Dialect Change: Convergence and Divergence in European Languages

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Dialect Change: Convergence and Divergence in European Languages

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521806879

Book Description

With dialects constantly changing and mobility increasing in recent years, it has become difficult to distinguish between such local accents as one from London or Reading, Bonn or Cologne. This book's authoritative contributors cover all aspects of recent dialect change, in particular, dialect convergence and divergence. Each commissioned chapter, based on original research, provides an overview of a particular issue and presents case studies to illustrate points raised.

Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence

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An Excellent introduction to key environmental debates

Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence
Susan J Armstrong , Richard G Botzler , Susan Armstrong , and Richard Botzler
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0072838450

Book Description

This anthology, edited by a professor of wild-life science and a professor of philosophy, offers the most current and comprehensive collection on the topic of environmental ethics available today. It surveys diverse approaches to environmental ethics by leading writers from a variety of disciplines, and provides an historical survey of thought on our responsibility to the environment. The perspectives are represented by their most articulate spokespersons and are accompanied by appraisals of their respective strengths and weaknesses. Chapter introductions, headnotes, discussion questions, and annotated bibliographies are provided. Twenty eight of the 64 articles are new. The new edition deletes those articles with which students had difficulty because they were hard to read and substitutes newer or better-written articles. All chapter introductions were revised to reflect changes in the field. New topics include biodiversity, ecological restoration, environmental justice, and genetic engineering. A new section in the appendix on conflict resolution was requested by students.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent introduction to key environmental debates.......2000-06-22

A very useful undergraduate level reader in environmental ethics. I use it in the course I teach in the UK. It would also make a good tool for self-teaching or for self-led small group study. For each chapter of readings there are discussion topics, an exercise, suggestions for a debate and a selection of further reading. The wide-ranging readings are carefully chosen, edited and arranged into key themes such as morality, aesthetics, ecofeminism and environmetnal ethics in society. The only other book to cover similar material in a similar manner is Louis Pojman's 'Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Practice'. In my opinion they are equally valuable, making it difficult (should it be neccessary) to choose between them. From a British perspective they both lack historical depth. Botzler and Armstrong's book has only two readings from the eighteenth century or earlier (St Francis and Kant) but this can be supplied from elsewhere if needed.

Understanding Crime Statistics: Revisiting the Divergence of the NCVS and the UCR (Cambridge Studies in Criminology)

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Understanding Crime Statistics: Revisiting the Divergence of the NCVS and the UCR (Cambridge Studies in Criminology)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0521680417

Book Description

In Understanding Crime Statistics, Lynch and Addington draw on the work of leading experts on U.S. crime statistics to provide much-needed research on appropriate use of this data. Specifically, the contributors explore the issues surrounding divergence in the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which have been the two major indicators of the level and of the change in level of crime in the United States for the past 30 years. This book examines recent changes in the UCR and the NCVS and assesses the effect these have had on divergence. By focusing on divergence, the authors encourage readers to think about how these data systems filter the reality of crime. Understanding Crime Statistics builds on this discussion of divergence to explain how the two data systems can be used as they were intended - in complementary rather than competitive ways.

Harmonizing Law in an Era of Globalization: Convergence, Divergence and Resistance

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Harmonizing Law in an Era of Globalization: Convergence, Divergence and Resistance

Manufacturer: Carolina Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | International Law | Law | Subjects | Books

International Law | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0890895856
Release Date: 2007-03-30

Product Description

The essays in this book highlight the most important ways in which domestic, international, public, and private legal systems interact with each other. The initial essays provide a theoretical overview of the study of legal harmonization - that is, of the nature and character of communication, accommodation, amalgamation, or resistance among legal systems. These interactions occur within horizontal relationships, between political institutions operating at the same level of authority. Vertical relationships between political institutions whose relationships are hierarchical have given rise to different patterns of interaction. New legal orders are being created through the adoption of international legal instruments that may reach nation-states, private entities, and individuals. Each has the potential for significantly affecting the sources of authority over public and private actors. Other essays illustrate the many ways in which communication between legal systems produce very real, if very different, effects across the world.

Monetary Divergence: Domestic Policy Autonomy in the Post-Bretton Woods Era (Michigan Studies in International Political Economy)

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Monetary Divergence: Domestic Policy Autonomy in the Post-Bretton Woods Era (Michigan Studies in International Political Economy)
David Bearce
Manufacturer: University of Michigan Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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