Axiomatic Design: Advances and Applications (The Oxford Series on Advanced Manufacturing)

Book Description

Design education, research, and practice have recently seen considerable evolution as university programs, researchers, journals, and conferences systematize design as a discipline and science. Nam P. Suh's book Axiomatic Design: Advances and Applications contributes to this systematic and scientific base and presents a fresh perspective on design, establishing a rational framework for the discipline. The book follows Suh's successful publication, The Principles of Design (OUP 1990), although the two books are substantially different in both content and approach. The first three chapters of Axiomatic Design cover the fundamental principles of axiomatic design. The following chapters offer a complete treatment of the design of systems, software, materials and materials processing, manufacturing systems, and product design. Suh shows how a scientific and systematic approach to design improves efficiency, productivity, savings, reliability, and quality for industries that currently rely on ad hoc design systems; Axiomatic Design contains the principles and practical knowledge necessary to achieve these improvements. Perfect for senior and graduate design and mechanical engineering students as well as professional engineers, this unique text offers the tools necessary to design with ease and elegance and serves as a stepping-stone in the ever-evolving intellectual science of design. Features BL Applies the principles of axiomatic design to a variety of real-life situations including mechanism design, software engineering, and basic business processes BL Includes numerous integrated case studies using axiomatic design to solve real-life design challenges BL Draws material from consulting cases with industrial firms throughout the world BL Requires no prerequisite reading (The Principles of Design can be read for clarification)

Customer Reviews:

Very questionable science, and many errors in text.......2005-12-08

I bought this book for a readings class this semester. I don't have a suitable vocabulary to describe how poor it is. The text is inconsistent and full of errors. The author blathers on without concluding much. He references his previous work and that of PhD theses (which I can only assume are his own students). I question the underlying assumptions of his theory but it is never fleshed out in sufficient detail to be understood and examined.

Some examples:

Page 8, the author discusses history, "there were no exceptions or counterexamples (to Newton's laws) until Einstein advanced the theory of relativity". Really? How about Maxwell's equations, the Michelson-Morley experiments, the theory of the ether, Mercury's orbit around the Sun?

Page 18, The author uses matrix algebra notation and operations on nonlinear equations. Superposition does not apply to nonlinear equations.

Example 1-13, consists of a redesign problem where one constraint is "no increase in cost", and the solution to the example problem is to add a component to the existing design. And that component is free?

Title of one section: "Reduction of uncertainty: Conversion of a design with time-dependent combinatorial complexity to a design with time-dependent periodic complexity".

It goes on. I made it about 100 pages into it.

What is important here?.......2004-02-22

One of great emerging ideas in the past 20 years is that there are tools to help in the design of robust products and systems. There are other approaches: TRIZ, QFD and other heuristic-based methods. There are also references to Dr. Taguchi's robust design methods (DFSS). The point is that the author here has made his point - DFSS as applied to multi-requirement products and systems... and that includes just about every product/system we use and need... has an overlooked flaw. Read this book to understand what that flaw is and how to address it.

Is the material here ambitious and audacious? Well... yes, wouldn't it be if the author were on to something? I think that the key here is to understand where this information can be immediately used in engineering practice. The principle of design decoupling and Okcam's Razor are not particularly new ideas, but the way that the author is approaching the subject is important. He is trying to get a handle on something that has been to date very heuristically practiced, and often not well executed. If one understands the principles of, for instance, software engineering, it doesn't take long to understand where the author is going with his subject. Suh is a mechanical engineer (MIT), and this fact, in itself, is very surprizing and encouraging. The axioms that Suh present are necessary in order to achieve some sort of order to the discussion. I personally have managed to get past the initial objections to his reuse of certain terms and emphasis on certain axioms. For instance, Suh's principle of "minimum information content" is actually a statement about "less is more" in design from a reliability and design-robustness perspective.

Now for potential buyers: understand that there are applications of this method and theory that are extremely powerful and effective. This method has great implications to the field of systems engineering - it ties the SE discipline to something that you can get your hands on. In particular, look to the application of the method to the design of physical systems and their corresponding manufacturing systems. This isn't a trivial or invalid subject.

People who need ways to handle complexity and the total system design problem will benefit as will designers of common products. Software and hardware designers can both benefit, although the author uses language that is more recognizable in the realm of mechanical engineering and manufacturing systems. This material will take some time to integrate into your own storehouse of knowledge - so don't rush it. Approach this material with a need in hand, but with the understanding that it will likely modify your view of your discipline. Then you will make use of this material. Note the bibliographies; dig into the applications of this theory. You won't be disappointed in the outcome.

A False Science.......2002-03-08

Is design a science? Or, can design be a science?
The author tries to conclude the principles for "good designs" into two axioms, then use them as the scientific approach to conduct the design activities. It is ambitious and audacious. Unfortunately, this is a false science. The paradox of the author's intent lies on the fact that science, by definition, should be repeatable and universal. However, regardless of the two controversial "axioms", which have been refuted in many literature among the design community, they themselve do not guarantee that different people will arrive on the same design. They are, at most, two design principles that may not be 100% true, depending on the cases.
The domain and tasks of design, is too broad and versatile to be abstracted by any "axioms", 'cause design is a mental process of creativity, and so far no one can sucessfully describe creativity in scientific terms.
Therefore, the answer is "no" to the question in the beginning of the review, at least not for this book.

Theory of Value: An Axiomatic Analysis of Economic Equilibrium (Cowles Foundation Monographs Series)

Average customer rating:

The canonical Book on General Equilibrium Analysis
A classical book.
Difficult, but it's best !

Theory of Value: An Axiomatic Analysis of Economic Equilibrium (Cowles Foundation Monographs Series)
Gerard Debreu
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Industrial | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0300015593

Customer Reviews:

The canonical Book on General Equilibrium Analysis.......2004-02-06

This short book (roughly 100 pages) gives a clear exposition of the basic elements of axiomatic general equilibrium analysis. The first chapter introduces all (sic!) mathematics used in this book, mainly some topology of euclidean space and basic facts about convex sets. In principle only knowledge about counting is necessary, but some "mathematical maturity" is clearly required. I would advise the reader to learn the relevant topology elsewhere ("Introduction to Analysis" by M. Rosenlicht suffices) and use the first chapter only for reference.

The main text covers the Arrow-Debreu-McKenzie-model and its interpretation, proves its logcial consistency (existence) and investigates its efficiency properties. The formal model is clearly distinguished from its interpretation, which allows Debreu to introduce uncertainty in the model by a simple reinterpretation of the commodity space. The whole approach is axiomatic, which wasn't that usual when Debreu wrote the book in 1959. This book has changed the standards of mathematical rigor in economic theory.

This book is still used as a reference and deserves a place on every economic theorists bookshelf.

A classical book........2001-04-25

This book is a classical. It's important you'll buy for your library.

Difficult, but it's best !.......2000-04-15

This is not an easy book. The mathematics are very rigorous, but everything is well defined, and it is self-contained. However, it pays to read this short book. If you want to understand the foundations of the modern economic analysis, this the place to look

Average customer rating:

Excellent Reference Work -- Perhaps Inscrutable
Well written book
A classic exposition of ZFC
Still interesting...and still important.
Decent intro book.

Axiomatic Set Theory
Patrick Suppes
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0486616304

Book Description

In one of the finest treatments for upper undergraduate and graduate level students, Professor Suppes presents axiomatic set theory: the basic paradoxes and history of set theory, and advanced topics such as relations and functions, equipollence, finite sets and cardinal numbers, rational and real numbers and more. Exercises. References. Indexes.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Reference Work -- Perhaps Inscrutable.......2007-07-30

A set, wrote Cantor, is a collection of definite, distinguishable objects of perception or thought conceived as a whole. The objects are called elements or members of the set. With such sets, one can do a great many useful manipulations. In the words of Bourbaki: "Nowadays it is known to be possible, logically speaking, to derive practically the whole of known mathematics from a single source, The Theory of Sets." Set theory, however, rests on a number of axioms -- one might say, circumscriptions. Interestingly, without the formulation of such axioms, the theory potentially runs into serious contradictions.

This book is a classic, and it rigorously, compellingly, and comprehensively introduces each of the axioms of axiomatic set theory, explaining precisely why the axiom is required, and how it came to be developed historically. This it does, however, in a very sparse and dense manner. It would seem to read something like an annual auditor's report. In the author's own words, "illustrative examples are given only sparingly". Thus the first four chapters cover "the foundations of mathematics [for] philosophy courses", while the book as a whole covers "a semester mathematics course in set theory for seniors".

I came to this book with a good grasp of naive set theory and logic. With this, I considered that it would enable me to grasp axiomatic set theory. The author states in the Preface: "No previous knowledge of set theory or mathematical logic is assumed." Almost immediately, however, the book introduced symbols and concepts which, with the information provided, were simply inscrutable. I showed my questions to a B.Sc. undergraduate. He was baffled -- despite having studied set theory. Thus the book would ideally require, I believe, a particularly good background in set theory and logic, or a competent tutor to walk beside one.

Well written book.......2007-04-22

This was the first book I have read about set theory, so obviously I cannot compare it to others. It motivates the subject very well and the proofs of the theorems are generally not very hard.
It is unfortunate, that many proofs are not given, but are given as exercises only. This limits its use for self study a bit in my opinion, and this is why I did not give it full five stars.

The book is virtually free of typos! (the book was written 40 years ago, and maybe there was a time, when proof reading was taken more seriously...)

A classic exposition of ZFC.......2005-02-25

Mathematics is a first order theory whose primitive formulae
all take the form 'a is a member of b'. 'a' can be a set or atom; 'b' must be a set. If you do not object to the preceding sentence, then read on.

Axiomatic Set Theory (AST) lays down the axioms of the now-canonical set theory due to Zermelo, Fraenkel (and Skolem), called ZFC. Building on ZFC, Suppes then derives the theory of cardinal and ordinal numbers, the integers, rationals, and reals, and the transfinite--Cantor's paradise. Suppes accomplishes in 250 well laid out pages what required 800 crabbed pages in Principia Mathematica.

This book evolved out of a class Suppes taught at Stanford in the long ago 1950s. It has since remained the best book of its kind. The reason is that subsequent presentations of set theory are too difficult, too contrived, too clever by half. They disdain the basics as old hat.

AST has several valuable pedagogical features.

1. The introduction to relations and functions is the best I know of. I am disappointed at how little attention has been devoted to relations and relational algebra in recent decades.

2. Suppes has a nice way of introducing a simple axiom, then showing that that axiom is a theorem when a more complicated axiom is later introduced. In particular, he develops the theory of cardinals by means of a temporary axiom to the effect that equipollent sets have identical cardinalities. This axiom becomes a theorem when the axiom of Choice is introduced in the final chapter.

The axiom schema of Replacement is introduced as late as possible, to enable transfinite arithmetic. He then turns around and shows that Replacement makes Subsets and Pairing redundant.

In my opinion, the greatest flaw of ZFC is that defining a cardinal number requires either the axiom of Choice, or Infinity plus the subtle notion of set rank. Frege and Russell had an appealing definition: a cardinal number is an equivalence class of sets under equipollence. That definition does not work in ZFC. It does work in Quinian set theory. Suppes does a yeoman's job of battling this flaw.

3. Suppes defines a finite set in the interesting way Tarski proposed in 1924.

AST contains hundreds and hundreds of theorems, man of them useful classics. In many cases, the proof is an exercise. Suppes's proof are of the informal sort typical of mathematics. What AST does can be done more rigorously: type 'Metamath' into Google and see for yourself.

Even though Suppes is a philosopher, this book is almost entirely a mathematical exercise. The reader will not get a good feel for how set theory is part of analytic philosophy, and how it has been a contentious subject. The writings of Fraenkel and Bar Hillel are better in these respects. Suppes does highlight the reservations re the axiom of Choice, but Cohen's proof that Choice is independent of ZF has largely laid those reservations to rest, except for those of us with constructive sympathies. AST gives no hint that Replacement and Power Set give us far more set theory than is needed in practice. Thanks to the work of Aczel and Barwise, published around 1990, we have a better idea of what it means to dispense with Regularity. Shortly after the 1960 publication of AST, Lawvere and others began to lay down the category theoretic foundation of mathematics knowns as topos theory. That theory puts ZFC in a new light. Personally, I am astonished that an axiomatization of finite sets simpler than ZF has yet to emerge.

Still interesting...and still important........2003-12-08

One does not hear about set theory too much these days, no doubt due to the de-emphasis of foundational discussions in mathematics. Foundational questions of course were the focus of much attention in mathematics in the early twentieth century, this taking place because of the many paradoxes in set theory and due to the influence of the philosophers. Set theory, the theory of types, and mathematical logic are still very important though in computer science and in artificial intelligence, due to the needs in these fields for knowledge representation, computational models of intelligence, and automated reasoning. This book could serve to introduce these topics or as an historical reference to the issues as they were hotly debated in the last century.

The first chapter gives an informal introduction to the notion of a set, first-order predicate logic (notions of bound and free variables and quantification), and the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms of set theory. The author describes the difficulties in the "axiom of abstraction" in the writings of Frege as pointed out by Bertrand Russell. It is pointed out that the axiom of abstraction is in fact an infinite collection of axioms, thus motivating the concept of an "axiom schema". The axiom schema that is used explicitly in the book is the "axiom schema of separation" due to Ernst Zermelo, which he formulated in order to make precise the notion of a statement as being "definite". More of the set-theoretic paradoxes are discussed, along with their classification due to F.P. Ramsey into "linguistic" and "semantical" ones.

The advantage of an older book on set theory is that more of the underlying details are explained, instead of just being formally developed. The author gives a thorough discussion of the concepts throughout the book, beginning with an organized development in chapter 2. He begins immediately with discussing the distinction between the object language and metalanguage, and the symbols to be used in the object language: constants, variables, logical connectives, quantifiers, and grouping symbols. These symbols are used to construct formulas, a subclass of which, the primitive formulas, are defined recursively, and which all formulas in the object language can be expressed in terms of. Throughout the book though the author uses additional notation that allows formulas not to be written in terms of primitive formulas. This is done to make the text more readable, but he requires that the added notion satisfy the criterion of eliminability and non-creativity. The notion of a set is defined formally, and then the axiom of extensionality, which gives a criterion for two sets being equal, and the axiom schema schema of separation. The pairing axiom, which gives the existence of a non-empty set; the sum axiom, which gives the existence of the union of a family of sets; the power set axiom, which gives the notion of the set of all subsets of a set; and the axiom of regularity, which prohibits infinite descending sequences of sets, are all discussed in detail.

Chapter 3 treats relations and functions, so important not only in mathematics but in computer science, especially in the theory of relational databases. Then in chapter 4, the author begins a study of cardinality and the cardinal numbers, proving that the finite cardinal numbers have the properties of the natural numbers, as one would expect. The author is careful to point out the need for the axiom of cardinal numbers in this study. Chapter 5 then goes into the theory of ordinal numbers, wherein it is emphasized that no special axioms are needed for the development of this theory. The author is also careful to note the special problems that arise in defining the arithmetic of natural numbers, such as defining addition recursively without using set theory. But including the apparatus of set theory does allow the replacement of the recursive definition by a proper definition. The axiom of infinity is brought in to permit the construction of arithmetical operations as certain sets. The theory of denumerable sets is then discussed, followed by one of the most fascinating concepts in all of mathematics: the theory of transfinite and infinite cardinals.

The author then shows that set theory can allow the construction of the real numbers, which takes place after the construction of the rational numbers. The famous "Dedekind cut" is discussed, along with the method of Cantor, which defines real numbers as equivalence classes of Cauchy sequences of rational numbers. The author uses the Cantor approach in the rest of the book. He also proves the famous Cantor theorem on the non-denumerability of the real numbers, and gives a brief discussion of the Continuum Hypothesis.

Chapter 8 then gives an overview of the fascinating topics of transfinite induction and ordinal number theory. Recursion theory makes its appearance again in the transfinite recursion for ordinal numbers, using the axiom schema of replacement. The non-commutativity of ordinal addition and multiplication is brought out, and the falsity of Fermat's Last Theorem and Goldbach's Hypothesis in ordinal number theory is shown. The author then shows to what extent cardinal number theory can be done without using special axioms by defining cardinal numbers as initial ordinals. The axiom of choice however is needed to show that every set has a cardinal number. The author then restates the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms in their final form at the end of the chapter.

The final chapter gives an overview of the most controversial topic in all of set theory, if not in all of mathematics: the axiom of choice. The author shows that the use of this axiom allows one to prove that an infinite set has a denumerable subset, and he shows the equivalence of the axiom of choice with the numeration theorem, the well-ordering theorem, Zorn's lemma, and the law of trichotomy. The counterintuitive Banach-Tarski paradox is discussed, and the author shows the existence of axioms which imply the axiom of choice.

Decent intro book........2003-10-04

This is a basic introduction to axiomatic set theory. You dont need much experience with informal set theory or formal logic to begin it. The book is rigorous and follows a definition - theorem - proof format, broken with clear exposition and historical notes. Enough formal mathematical logic is introduced only to express the axioms (that is, formal proof systems are not used or discussed). He uses the ZF (Zermelo/Fraenkel) system and gives footnote comparisons to the NBG (von Neumann/Bernays/Godel) system. In chapter 4 he introduces a special axiom (outside of ZF) to simplify the development of cardinal numbers, and this involves the addition of a new primitive notion. All theorems relying on this special axiom are clearly marked. While this admirably allows Suppes to avoid employing the axiom of choice or taking the extra time needed to develop cardinals strictly within ZF, it may annoy some readers. In chapter 6 he gives a detailed construction of the rational numbers and the real numbers (using Cauchy sequences). He uses only the axiom of separation until the axiom of replacement becomes necessary. He does a good job explaining why each axiom is needed and how it arose historically. The book is comparable to Monk's _Introduction to Set Theory_, though a little easier and less advanced.

Average customer rating:

Australian SF Reader
How about an alien Mind-fck? The future is here!
A little disappointing
Good Shorts
An astonishingly good collection

Axiomatic
Greg Egan
Manufacturer: Harper Prism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0061052655

Amazon.com

Axiomatic is a collection of Greg Egan's short stories that appeared in various science fiction magazines (mostly Interzone and Asimov's) between 1989 and 1992. Like most of Egan's work, the stories focus on science and ideas, sometimes at the expense of the writing. But although Egan may lack a certain stylistic flare, he more than makes up for it with his wonderful visions of the future. Some of the more interesting stories include "Into Darkness," the tale of a rescue worker whose territory is a runaway wormhole, and the title story "Axiomatic," which is about a man looking to find meaning in the senseless death of his wife.

Book Description

From junkes who drink at the time-stream, to love affairs in time-reversed galaxies; from gene-altered dolphins that converse only in limericks, to the program that allows you to design your own child; from the brain implants called axiomatics, to the strange attractors that spin off new religions, Greg Egan's future is frighteningly close to our present.

Customer Reviews:

Australian SF Reader.......2007-08-16

Egan's first collection of great mind bending and mind melting stories. Really high quality at a 3.94 average, and a major talent of the form.

Axiomatic : The Infinite Assassin - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : The Hundred Light-Year Diary - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Eugene - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : The Caress - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Blood Sisters - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Axiomatic - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : The Safe-Deposit Box - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Seeing - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : A Kidnapping - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Learning to Be Me - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : The Moat - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : The Walk - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : The Cutie - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Into Darkness - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Appropriate Love - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : The Moral Virologist - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Closer - Greg Egan
Axiomatic : Unstable Orbits in the Space of Lies - Greg Egan

Multiversal murder tango, at a Cantor.

4.5 out of 5

Foreknowledge failure.

3.5 out of 5

Micromanaged kid just a tad nihilistic.

4 out of 5

An enhanced policeman gets entangled in a billionaire's bizarre Dr Moreau creations as art and save the child schemes.

4 out of 5

Placebo death override.

4 out of 5

A man who lost his wife in an armed robbery shooting, and is a complete believer in the sanctity of life wants to get a brain implant so he can do something about his wife's killer, now released from jail.

4.5 out of 5

Jumper, no wild card or evil lawyers, but crppy base situation.

4 out of 5

Bullet in body, bullet out of body, seat of consciousness partially likewise.

3.5 out of 5

Copy deception reality frozen.

4.5 out of 5

A man learns to come to terms with the Jewel or Ndoli device - which is also mentioned in Border Guards, and has a bit of a different reaction with a glitch to others.

3 out of 5

Immigrantproofing the wealthy.

4.5 out of 5

Assassin death rligion victim choice.

4 out of 5

Paternal pang kit cure destruction.

4 out of 5

Hyperspace saviour run record.

4.5 out of 5

Brain baby.

4 out of 5

A crazed and expert biologist creates a virus that will ensure non-monogamous sx will kill you. He fails to account for pregnancy correctly.

3.5 out of 5

Another 'jewel' story, this time, two people meet at work, and one of them has a fetish that he wants to know what it is like to be someone else, so they do some body swapping, and use identical clones as well, to experiment.

3.5 out of 5

Strange society not attractive.

3.5 out of 5

How about an alien Mind-fck? The future is here!.......2006-05-10

Surely, in the future we will need brain implant technology
to provide instant language skills for
business people and tourists etc. And surely the
next generation of implants - Egan calls them
axiomatics - will all be sexual in nature.
Rewiring the brain to crave something new.
And to top it all - when implant technoloy
is firmly in the hands of entertainment
conglomerates - "the Alien Mind-fck":
"a mental state so bizarre that even as
you experience it, you won't know what it is like!".

There is a certain logic to Egans universe.

Take Death - Death has always been rather unwelcomed
in human society.
So surely we will want some kind
of high resolution imaging technique that gives a detailed
map of the body, down to the cellular level
- a map which includes, among other things, a
description of every neuron in the bran, every synaptic
connection.
That way we purchase a kind of immortality. Whatever happens
to the original, the copy can always be resurrected in virtual reality.
We would have a double which would share all
our memories, all our beliefs, all our
goals and all desires. Someone to live in that castle
- in RAM - we always dreamed of.

And surely our friends and families can be transferred
to virtual reality. After all - all what we can have of each other is an imitation, an idea in our heads.

But what about our bodies and its slow, but unstopping decay?
What to do if we really want to go on for ever? If we want something out here in "reality", for ever.

Obviously there is an Egan fix:
"My organic brain was removed and discarded
and control of my body was handed over to my
"jewel" - a computer that has learned to
imitate my brain down to the levels of neurons.
My old biological brain was a kind of bootstrap device,
nothing more, and to mourn its loss would be as
absurd as mourning my emergence from some
primitive stage of embryological development.
Switching to the dual was something everybody did
now".

The brain is removed, discarded and replaced
with a spongy tissue-cultured object. Replaced
by an immortal jewel=dual.
A little upsetting for children when
parents are switched:
"My parents were machines. My parents were gods,
that will live for a billion years."

and anti- progress people will perhaps think it is
better to die at 90, than kill yourself at
30 and have some machine marching around, taking
your place, pretending to be you.
But thats the nature of anti progress people.

We will eagerly await our wife returning
from the operation:
"There was nothing to fear after all.
I'm exactly the person I've always been.
Your loving robot wife
Daphne."

What is there to fear:
"Yesterday, they scraped my scull clean,
and inserted my new, non sentient, spacefilling
mock brain."

And if it gets all to much we can all, ALL,
have new biological children:

"A patch of skin and muscle was
locally anaesthesised, and then
a quicky plunging needle delivered
the prepackaged biological complex
for the abdominal cavity. And he was
pregnant".

Perhaps we will need to catch the latest play
to make sense of it all:
"We went to the theater for a performance
of "Waiting for Godot" by augmented
parots".

---

Wonderful stuff !!!

-Simon

A little disappointing.......2005-11-09

I read Ted Chiang's _Stories of Your Life_ and found it incredible (I'd have to count two-thirds of the collection as being among the best short fiction I've ever read in any genre), so naturally I checked around for other people's comments, and about 5 or 6 people who liked Chiang's stuff led me to this book (a couple of them recommending this book OVER the Chiang collection).

Having just finished reading it, I can only say I feel a bit numb and let-down. Sure, some (but nowhere near all) of the ideas are fascinating, but the storytelling leaves much to be desired. Conceptually, I suppose it's above-average science fiction fare, but in terms of the execution, pretty much everything is run-of-the-mill SF. Nearly all of the stories could be given a one-paragraph "wouldn't it be cool if..." treatment, and not be much worse off for it. The pacing is disappointing (sometimes too fast, sometimes too slow), the characters are like cardboard (which is disastrous in stories that are primarily first-person), and Egan even allows some of the ideas, however brilliant, to fizzle out ("The Moat" is the most extreme example of this).

There are three or four gems here ("Learning To Be Me" comes to mind), but for people looking for moving or cleverly-plotted stories, I would have to recommend looking elsewhere. Nonetheless, for hard SF enthusiasts, this is a decent collection, so long as you're not looking for style to go with the substance.

Good Shorts.......2004-12-25

This is a decent collection of short stories from Greg Egan. They are a little more accessible (as far as the technical aspects of the ideas explored) than the ones in the "Luminous" collection, but they also seem a little less polished. This is a good book to have around for whenever you need a short story fix.

An astonishingly good collection.......2003-12-27

-----------------------------------------------------------
I'm slow reading Axiomatic, I guess, because I put it on my "to read"
list back in 1995, when the Commonwealth edition was published,
and missed the US release.

Better late than never -- it's a terrific collection, a must-read for
short-story and Egan fans. And I do mean *short* -- the longest story
here is 28 pages, and the average length is 16. All were first published
in 1990-92, when Egan was making his reputation. If you read the
Dozois Year's Best, you've seen "The Caress", in which a leopard-
woman chimera is created by a millionaire with way too much time
on his hands, to "realize"the eponymous, & famous, 1896 Belgian
Symbolist painting -- Egan's harried policeman-protagonist is drafted
to play the male caressor. This was his sixth(!)-published story, and it
has many of his trademarks: more good ideas than most novels, an
understated future-Australia setting, clean, transparent prose and a
helluva story.

Well -- I could rattle on about individual stories, but in my usual
slothful fashion I'll refer you to others who've already done so --
personally, I don't find 2-3 line summaries of short stories to be
helpful (but YMMV). What I *can* say is, you'll find all of the
virtues of Egan's novels here, and few of the faults. There's really
not a weak story in the bunch. You can sample the excellent
scientific-romance "Closer", and "The Moral Virologist", a rather
loathsome Tiptree-inspired ("Last Flight of Dr. Ahn"/ "Screwfly
Solution") piece (plus some later stories) at Egan's website:
www.netspace.net.au/~gregegan/ [Google if Amazon censors it]

Book Description

The first book to integrate axiomatic design and robust design for a comprehensive quality approach

As the adoption of quality methods grows across various industries, its implementation is challenged by situations where statistical tools are inadequate, yet the earlier a proactive quality system is introduced into a given process, the greater the payback these methods will yield.

Axiomatic Quality brings together two well-established theories, axiomatic design and robust design, to eliminate or reduce both conceptual and operational weaknesses. Providing a complete framework for immediate implementation, this book guides design teams in producing systems that operate at high-quality levels for each of their design requirements. And it shows the way towards achieving the Six-Sigma target—six times the standard deviation contained between the target and each side of the specification limits—for each requirement.

This book develops an aggressive axiomatic quality approach that:

Provides the tools to reduce conceptual weaknesses of systems using a framework called the conceptual design for capability
Reduces operational weaknesses of systems in terms of quality losses and control costs
Uses mathematical relationships to bridge the gap between science-based engineering and quality methods

Acclaro DFSS Light, a Java-based software package that implements axiomatic design processes, is available for download from a Wiley ftp site. Acclaro DFSS Light is a software product of Axiomatic Design Solutions, Inc.

Laying out a comprehensive approach while working through each aspect of its implementation, Axiomatic Quality is an essential resource for managers, engineers, and other professionals who want to successfully deploy the most advanced methodology to tackle system weaknesses and improve quality.

Download Description

This book develops design concepts, processes, and methodologies that eliminate or reduce both conceptual and operational types of weaknesses and help design teams in producing systems that operate at high quality levels for each of their design requirements. The objective for all requirements is to have six times the standard deviation contained between the target and each side of the specification limits. This target is called the Six Sigma target, where the Greek sigma stands for the standard deviation.

Customer Reviews:

A great blending of leading techniques!.......2005-08-29

With so many books advocating single methodologies as if they were a single "silver bullet", Dr. El-Haik integrates many of the leading contemporary approaches in a complementary manner.

The first third of the book does a creditable job of explaining the two axioms and many of the correlaries. It then goes on to show the relationship to Quality Function Deployment, Robust Engineering, the Quality Loss Function, Concept Development, TRIZ and reliability.

This book is quite comprehensive, but not at all a quick read, as there are many mathematical illustrations that need to be studied to appreciate.

A added plus for those who are anxious to get right into Axiomatic Design is a software download that can make the relationships easier to handle.

Basam did a great job. .......2005-08-26

Given "Voice of Customer", the job of engineers is to develop design concept and to perfect the design concept. Their challenge is to win in "Cost", "Quality" and "Time-to-Market". Stuart Pugh said "The wrong choice of concept in a given design situation can rarely, if ever, be recouped by brilliant detailed design." He also said "One thing is certain. It is extremely easy to select the wrong concept and very difficult to select the best one." This book integrates Axiomatic Design (by Nam Suh) and Robust Design both at the theoretical and the mathematical level. The concept of axiomatic design is extremely important in generating a winning concept, while robust design optimize its performance for robustness against various noise factors such as customers' usage environment and aging.

Also, there is a good chapter about reliability from axiomatic design perspective. The book contains a lot of examples that help the leader really grasp the concept. It provides an in-depth and clear coverage of all the important, philosophical, theoretical, implementation and technical aspects of the integration of axiomatic design and robust design (the so called axiomatic quality) to readers. In addition, the book discusses and illustrates very clearly the whole axiomatic quality deployment and execution process, which is an integral part of Design For Six Sigma approach. I am sure that this book will any reader develop skills in applying axiomatic design and robust design as an integrated quality approach in industrial or service implementation.

Shin Taguchi, President, American Supplier Institute, Inc.
Livonia, Michigan

Axiomatic Quality.......2005-06-09

"Axiomatic Quality" provides a thorough and chronological description of the axiomatic design and quality process. Dr. Basem El-Haik provides a detailed roadmap for the design and launch of mistake-free products, processes, and services. Mistake-free means satisfying the Customers requirements at product launch and throughout the products service life.

Basem integrates the design and quality process through the use of axiomatic design. He provides a thorough description of the axiomatic design theorems (independence and information) and their many corollaries. Basem provides a thorough description of the requirements flowdown process using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and the "zigzagging" process to develop products that satisfy the axiomatic design theorems. Best of all, he provides excellent product and process examples that span the entire design development and launch phases. The step-by-step examples can be used as templates for the implementation and integration of the various Six Sigma tools (QFD, Axiomatic Design, Morphological Matrix, Robust Design, etc.) within any product development program.

"Axiomatic Quality" strengthened my understanding of the Design for Six Sigma process and its relationship to the development of superior products, processes and services. Axiomatic Quality also serves as a "how to" reference for use in the design development process. I keep a copy of Axiomatic Quality on the corner of my desk for reference and review.

Axiomatic Design, Meet Six Sigma.......2005-05-02

Basem El-Haik has made a significant contribution to the evolving field of Design-for-Six-Sigma (DFSS). Axiomatic Design has long been a compelling methodology, but as a discrete design methodology it did not have the leverage that Basem has created by integrating it with other Six Sigma methods.

This integration is particularly apparent with his work combining the design axioms developed by Nam Suh with Robust Design optimization. The application relevant introduction of Design Domains, Functional Requirements, Domain Mapping, and Decomposition (Zig-zagging) creates an effective foundation for the 'effective' implementation of Taguchi's Parameter Design.

This book is a must for the professional implementer of DFSS or anyone interested in demystifying the fundimentals of system design. As as Six Sigma professional, I have included "Axiomatic Quality" as part of my evolving DFSS tool box.

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Axiomatic theory of sets and classes
Murray Eisenberg
Manufacturer: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Geometry of State Spaces of Operator Algebras (Mathematics: Theory & Applications)

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Geometry of State Spaces of Operator Algebras (Mathematics: Theory & Applications)
Erik M. Alfsen , and Frederic W. Shultz
Manufacturer: Birkhäuser Boston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0817643192

Book Description

This book provides a complete and self-contained solution to the long-standing problem of giving a geometric description of state spaces of C*-algebras and von Neumann algebras, and of their Jordan algebraic analogs (JB-algebras and JBW-algebras). This material, which has previously only appeared in research papers based on substantial prerequisites, is made accessible to a broad mathematical audience.

The necessary prerequisites on C*-algebras and von Neumann algebras are summarized in an appendix, which contains all relevant definitions and results. All necessary background on Jordan algebras is given in the present book, and the first part of the book may be of independent interest for those wanting a quick introduction to Jordan algebras. This work will be of interest to researchers and students in operator algebras.

Scattering in Quantum Field Theories: The Axiomatic and Constructive Approaches (Princeton Series in Physics)

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Scattering in Quantum Field Theories: The Axiomatic and Constructive Approaches (Princeton Series in Physics)
Daniel Iagolnitzer
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Axiomatic and constructive approaches to quantum field theory first aim to establish it on precise, non-perturbative bases: general axioms and rigorous definition of specific theories respectively. From the viewpoint of particle physics, the goal is then to develop a relativistic scattering theory, including particle analysis and the derivation of general properties of collision amplitudes. Taking into account successive improvements, this book provides a modern, self-contained, and coherent presentation of important developments from the last twenty years, most of which have not been treated or discussed in detail in earlier books. These developments include in particular the axiomatic derivation, in massive theories, of general causal and momentum-space analyticity properties of multiparticle collision amplitudes; the constructive definition, initially in the (unphysical) euclidean space, of various models including non-super-renormalizable theories treated in the 1980s via phase-space expansions; and the subsequent constructive approach to scattering theory, which provides information on the mass spectrum, asymptotic completeness, and multiparticle structure in increasingly higher energy regions.

Axiomatic Design and Fabrication of Composite Structures: Applications in Robots, Machine Tools, and Automobiles (Oxford Series on Advanced Manufacturing)

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Axiomatic Design and Fabrication of Composite Structures: Applications in Robots, Machine Tools, and Automobiles (Oxford Series on Advanced Manufacturing)
Dai Gil Lee , and Nam Pyo Suh
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195178777

Book Description

The idea that materials can be designed to satisfy specific performance requirements is relatively new. With high-performance composites, however, the entire process of designing and fabricating a part can be worked out before manufacturing. The purpose of this book is to present an integrated approach to the design and manufacturing of products from advanced composites. It shows how the basic behavior of composites and their constitutive relationships can be used during the design stage, which minimizes the complexity of manufacturing composite parts and reduces the repetitive "design-build-test" cycle. Designing it right the first time is going to determine the competitiveness of a company, the reliability of the part, the robustness of fabrication processes, and ultimately, the cost and development time of composite parts. Most of all, it should expand the use of advanced composite parts in fields that use composites only to a limited extent at this time. To achieve these goals, this book presents the design and fabrication of novel composite parts made for machine tools and other applications like robots and automobiles. This book is suitable as a textbook for graduate courses in the design and fabrication of composites. It will also be of interest to practicing engineers learning about composites and axiomatic design. A CD-ROM is included in every copy of the book, containing Axiomatic CLPT software. This program, developed by the authors, will assist readers in calculating material properties from the microstructure of the composite. This book is part of the Oxford Series on Advanced Manufacturing.

Axiomatic Domain Theory in Categories of Partial Maps (Distinguished Dissertations in Computer Science)

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Axiomatic Domain Theory in Categories of Partial Maps (Distinguished Dissertations in Computer Science)
Marcelo P. Fiore
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Axiomatic categorical domain theory is crucial for understanding the meaning of programs and reasoning about them. This book is the first systematic account of the subject and studies mathematical structures suitable for modelling functional programming languages in an axiomatic (i.e. abstract) setting. In particular, the author develops theories of partiality and recursive types and applies them to the study of the metalanguage FPC; for example, enriched categorical models of the FPC are defined. Furthermore, FPC is considered as a programming language with a call-by-value operational semantics and a denotational semantics defined on top of a categorical model. To conclude, for an axiomatisation of absolute non-trivial domain-theoretic models of FPC, operational and denotational semantics are related by means of computational soundness and adequacy results. To make the book reasonably self-contained, the author includes an introduction to enriched category theory.

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