Invention and Evolution

Invention and Evolution

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Summary

This textbook for engineering students provides an introduction to design for function. This second edition has been extensively revised, with more examples and a new chapter with actual design case studies to illustrate key ideas. In addition, many exercises have been added to help reinforce important points in the text.

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Invention and Evolution by Michael French

This textbook for engineering students provides an introduction to design for function, using many examples of manufactured artefacts and living organisms to demonstrate common themes and fundamental principles. Examples forcefully illustrate the importance of the basic design principles related to materials, energy and information. The author also discusses the relation of aesthetic and functional design, the crucial relation of design to production in artefacts, and reproduction in organisms. The book concludes with a brief summary of the role and requirements of designers and inventors. This second edition has been extensively revised, with more examples and a new chapter with actual design case studies to illustrate key ideas. In addition, many exercises have been added to help reinforce important points in the text.
Review of the first edition: 'This book is strongly recommended for students and practitioner alikeIt is studded with gems of information and fascinating comparisons well illustrated both in the diagrams and the text.' Engineering Design Education and Training
Review of the first edition: 'Indeed it deserves the same wide audience as J. E. Gordon's brilliant popular classic: The Science of Strong Materials and Structures. It deals largely with different aspects of design but it resembles them in its clarity, wisdom, humour, and in its astonishing range of examples.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
French, Michael: - A graduate of Stanford University with a degree in English and of Northwestern University with a master's in journalism, Michael French is the author of twenty-four books: adult and young adult fiction, art criticism, biographies, adaptations, and gender studies. A native of Los Angeles, he also is a successful businessman, an avid high-altitude mountain trekker, a world traveler to developing countries, an activist, and, with his wife, Patricia, a philanthropist raising money for programs aiding teachers in Santa Fe, N.M., public schools, which are some of the most challenged in the country.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780521469111
ISBN 10 0521469112
Title Invention and Evolution
Author Michael French
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Year published 1994-09-15
Number of pages 388
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note Unavailable