So, as it’s getting closer to University time for the second time in my life i feel a little more prepared for things to come. Usually when i feel a little more prepared i generally feel more comfortable and therefore more laid back. Inevitably that means i sit back and don’t do as much as i should usually have done.
So this time i’m making an effort to get stuck in before the intensive 1 year course starts.
First off, i wrote to the course administrator and asked for a reading list for the course. I ended up recieving two reading lists, one for applied maths and one for the design development project. A few books on the design development list seem familiar, and for a while before i got the list i had been wondering what book i should get. So out of the three possibles that i was going to get before i got the list, i decided to get the one, out of the three, which matched the one on the book list.
As i got two lists with two different titles, “Reading list for Applied Maths” and “Design Development Project (Reading List)” it makes me wonder whether in fact the other modules on the course each have their own reading lists too! I guess i’ll find that out soon enough. So the reading lists are as follows:
Reading List for Applied Maths for MSc Design Engineering
Essential/Primary
- Croft, A., Davidson, R., (2002) Mathematics for Engineers: A Modern Interactive Approach, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0-13-120193-X.
- Garrity, T.A., (2002) All the Mathematics You Missed: But Need to Know for Graduate School, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-52-179707-1.
Recommended/Secondary
- Croft, A., Davidson, R., (2002) Foundation Maths, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0-13-045426-5.
- Freund, J.E., (2001) Modern Elementary Statistics, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0-13-017701-6.
- Riley, K.F., Bence, S.J. (2002) Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-52-189067-5.
- Roberts, A.P. (2003) Statics and Dynamics with Background Mathematics, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-52-152087-8.
Design Development Project (Reading List)
Essential/Primary
- Project briefing documents.
- Reading materials from the Postgraduate Certificate stage of this MSc Programme and ‘In house’ support materials for project report writing.
Recommended/Secondary
- Ashby, M. et al. (2002) Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design, Butterworth Heinemann, ISBN: 0750655542.
- Baxter, M. (2000) Product Design, Stanley Thornes, London, ISBN: 0748741976.
- Childs, P. (2003) Mechanical Design, Butterworth Heinmann, ISBN: 075065771555.
- Hirsch, H.L. (2004) Essential communication strategies for scientists, engineers and technology professionals, John Wiley and Sons, ISBN: 0471667390.
- Petroski, H. (1998) Invention by Design: How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing, Harvard University Press, ISBN: 0674463684.
So far i have gone with the Product Design by Baxter and the Foundation Maths by Croft & Davidson. Although there aren’t any books to buy that are essential for the design development project I feel that my previous degree didn’t really set me up to understand about the process of design for manufacture. In fact, comparing what i have read so far to my experiences in education, i feel that my projects at GCSE and A-Level were, in fact, more in line with the current ideas in this book. I chose the foundation maths book because i have a little catching up to do. it’s been 8 years since i took my last maths test/lesson and i need a little kick-start into maths action. It’s all coming flooding back!
It’s hard to make a decision on just two books when given a list of eleven. I have to try and restrain myself from buyng more than are relavant at any one particular time. Some of the books on the design development list look extremely fascinating but they are all listed as secondary material. The Maths ones on the other hand will be tough to get through and will require more attention and more resources for me to understand. So i’ll be tackling them all one by one. All i have to do now is read them!
If anyone can provide any useful recommendations for any of the above books i would be happy to hear them. Thanks!
[…] Just as i suspected, there is more on the reading list than i first presumed! […]