Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics [Hardcover]

 

 

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To all eng thermo learners: i did an intensive comparison of Cengel4 and MoranShapiro5 whenever on the john. Sonntag6 was out-of-race: book really bad (in comparison to the two in question), so let's not talk about it any further. So the remaining top-sellers, they are *the* most widely-used most popular intro texts (the very first two semesters on thermo for engineering students) available; very comprehensive (~800pages) and extremely modern in didactics, layout, and content presentation. No wonder that they are the two best-sold intro texts. Question: which is better?
Results: Both are 100% equally top choices (and 95% equal in teaching text) and in the end it s only a matter of taste and peripheral preferences. My personal peripheral preference would be the "Which one s the better deal (US $)?". Well, MoranShapiro5 is a little harder to read (it uses one colour only: pics, drawings, and images all in GREEN, aarrgh!) and not as nicely layout as Cengel4. But text is a little more detailed and the examples are much longer, and a bit harder and thus more detailed too! Number of examples seems to be higher too (!?) ("So, if you re not a dummie (=total beginner), go for S/M as text and ref!"). Furthermore, the WileyInternationalEdition comes in HARDCOVER whereas the McGraw-HillInternationEdtion comes in PAPERBACK. Both books feature a student book companion site or online learning center. The Wiley book site has the fantastic "ThermoNet"-website, and instructors will find digitized solutions to all text problems. The McGraw-Hill book site does not offer much neither to the student nor to the instructor. Textwise, Cengel *is* better. Easier to read, grasp, learn, and understand. And apply ("So, the best thermo book for dummies is Cengel!"). VERY VERY nice layout, VERY attractive and fun to work with. An enjoyable reading. A bit more fun than Moran's. But as explained, all in all the better deal would be MoranShapiro5. Moran's text is the more serious one: useful as text *and* reference. Cengel's book-for-dummies is very useful for total beginners and poor learners. Well, if you *now* begin to complain that neither Cengel's nor Moran's book pleases you, then you wont find any other good intro tome ('picture book'). These two intro tomes *are* the best, there are no better on the market. Choose one of the two, or dont buy any intro text on eng thermo! If you dont like these two books because eng thermo is too hard for you, then please have a close look at Octave Levenspiel's intro text "Understanding Engineering Thermo". This might be the best to start with then. For you.

I am a junior in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell and used this textbook for a Thermodynamics course third semester. I thought it was organized well, written clearly and at an appropriate level, and enjoyable overall (though demanding at times). I think the reason some people have given this book such poor reviews is that it makes you think and really requires you to put time into solving problems. So, chances are you can handle the technical aspects, but the nature of thermo seems to make it difficult the first time around for some (myself included). If you know calculus, basic physics, and are willing to actually try to understand the text/reasoning/formulas/examples and do the problems though, you will probably agree that this book is incredible.

I highly recommend this text. I have used it for many years now and it is as complete and concise as can be. Moran and Shapiro have done an excellent job in developing this text. The concept explanations are concise and technical. The theory is extremely well developed and clearly presented. This book is similar to Incropera's Heat Transfer texts with respect with the theory development and explanations. If you want a book that does more than show you how to do a problem this book is for you. Not only does it show you how, but it tells you WHY. An excellent book!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Read Reviews Carefully
I used this text in undergrad thermo and as a reference in grad school and thought that it was a satisfactory book. Read more

Published on Feb 24 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars The Book Never got Here!
Ignore the rating! I would love to give a review but... I need the book for class. Ordered and paid for it from SuperBookDeals over a month ago. Read more

Published on Oct 3 2002 by Cecil Mabry Jr.

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Text Book
Why so many bad reviews?

I found this text to be quite good, the format of the book was appropriate, with essential concepts highlighted and the explanations are fairly... Read more

Published on Mar 12 2001 by Memo from Turner

1.0 out of 5 stars utter garbage
It's true what they say, John Wiley & Sons will publish any piece of trash submitted to them. This book is a prime example. Read more

Published on Oct 17 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Teaching Tool
As a student in Mechanical Engineering I used this book for my BS and MS. This book in conjunction with the included software (Interactive Thermodynamics) provides a great... Read more

Published on Sep 8 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars help!!!
This book is terrible. I was almost ready to throw it out of my dorm window on several occasions. First off, if you are new to thermodynamics, you will learn practically nothing... Read more

Published on Sep 6 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars Very difficult to learn from
This book was extremely difficult to follow. It fails to teach you the material necessary to solve the problems. Read more

Published on Sep 3 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-conceived and executed
I have perused a number of thermodynamics texts and this one merits special note. The layout is clear and crisp and extensive problem sets provide the student with the... Read more

Published on July 5 1999

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