referencebooks

Laboratory Health and Safety Dictionary

By W. Carl Gottschall and Douglas B. Walters.

Published by Wiley Interscience, 2001.

This is a 6" by 9" paperback running to 458 pages including four appendices, plus a brief preface.

The back of the book says,

Chemical health and safety are impacted by federal, state, and local regulations, notably the OSHA Laboratory Standard, and are of concern to a wide range of personnel. Laboratory Health and Safety Dictionary defines basic and essential terms, making it a core reference for experienced as well as novice health and safety professionals. It will also help people with limited understanding and/or varying backgrounds better understand the vocabulary that is encountered in the field.

This authoritative compendium of chemical and health and safety concepts contains approximately 2,500 entries covering the broad spectrum of health and safety issues including all essential elements of a chemical hygiene plan, safety procedures, chemical exposures, etc. Words, terms, and expressions are included that are found or referenced in documents and regulations such as OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard and the Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in the Laboratory Standard, Material Safety Data Sheets, Right-to-Know Legislation, and numerous other documents and lists of "hazardous" agents...

For a sense of the kind of terms defined, here is a list of the first sixteen entries in the "V" sequence:

• V
  
• VA
  
• vaccine
  
• vacuum
  
• valence
  
• validation
  
• vanadium (V)
  
• van der Waals, Johannes Diderik
  
• van der Waals forces
  
• van't Hoff, Jacobus Henricus
  
• vapor
  
• vapor density
  
• vapor pressure (VP)
  
• variable
  
• variance
  
• Vaseline™
  

Definitions are very minimal, usual just one short sentence. They sometimes require some background knowledge in biology or chemistry to understand. Here are a few typical examples:

kaolinosis     A form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of kaolin dust, usually a result of grinding, milling, or other operations.

hot zone     The area in a hazardous waste operation where contamination occurs.

gavage     Feeding by means of a tube inserted via the mouth and throat into the stomach.

enflourage     The extraction of odorous components of flowers in the production of perfumes and essential oils.

rolfing     Deep massage.

shall     The word used to denote a requirement or regulation as opposed to a recommendation.

This is a handy book for anyone working in a chemical or biological laboratory.

The Audio Dictionary, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded

By Glenn D. White and Gary J. Louie

Published by University of Washington Press, 2005.

This is a 6" by 9" paperback running to 503 pages including the bibliography and eleven appendices, plus a very brief introduction.

The introduction begins,

"Throughout the years of teaching acoustics and audio-related courses at the university level, we have felt the need for a book covering the terminology and basic concepts in the fields of sound recording, sound reinforcement, and musical acoustics. The marginal emphasis on audio education by our schools and universities has permitted a large body of folklore to exist. This book is aimed at dispelling some misinformation and is intended to supplement textbooks for courses in these areas and also to serve as a source of information for the general reader who has an interest in reproduced music and/or musical acoustics. The dictionary format was chosen primarily for ease of cross-referencing as well as ease of locating specific information. Definitions of fundamental principles and standards are included, as well as entries on more abstract and subjective concepts. The areas of basic acoustics, elementary electroacoustics, digital audio, electronics as applied to audio, and some topics within the areas of psychoacoustics are covered."

For some examples of what is here, here are the first fifteen entries given in the "W" sequence:

• Wall Wart
  
• Warp Wow
  
• Watermarking
  
• Watt
  
• WAV
  
• Waveform
  
• Wavelength
  
• Wavelet Transform
  
• Weighting
  
• Wet
  
• Whistle Filter
  
• White Noise
  
• White Van Speaker
  
• Whizzer Cone
  
• Whole Step
  

This book is good if you want to understand what sound engineers are talking about, but doesn't go into the detail you would need to actually do what they do. It's written in prose that's very understandable to non-engineers. Sometimes it's even entertaining.

The one odd thing about it, perhaps, is how much attention is given to outmoded audio technologies like tape recorders. There are probably whole areas of terminology relating to digital audio recording and digital signal processing that are left out. I think this is a consequence of the fact that the author is an audio veteran and approaches the field in somewhat old ways.

Still, despite it's somewhat old-fashioned point of view, it's a useful book.

The Telecommunications Fact Book and Illustrated Dictionary, 2nd edition

By Ahmed S. Khan

Published by Thomson / Delmar Learning, 2006.

This is a 7.5" by 9" paperback book, a slender 374 pages in length including a list of acronyms and an index, plus a single-page preface.

Partially a dictionary of the vocabulary of telecommunications and partially a sort of an almanac of the telecommunications industry, this book communicates a lot of technical basics very efficiently, aiming at an undergraduate audience with introductory-level background knowledge in electronics and electrical engineering.

Definitions in the dictionary portion are extremely brief, usually just one or two short sentences. For an idea of what's included in it, here is the full list of terms in the "K" sequence (one of the shorter sequences), excluding "see" references:

• k (kilo)
  
• K band
  
• Ka band
  
• kbps
  
• Kerberos
  
• kernel
  
• Kerr-Cell modulator
  
• key
  
• keyboard
  
• keyboard send and receive (KSR)
  
• Key Service Unit (KSU)
  
• Key Telephone System
  
• kHz (kiloHertz)
  
• killer channel
  
• klystron
  
• Ku band
  
• kW (kilowatt)
  
• kWh (kilowatt-hour)
  

The definitions in this section are copiously illustrated with tables and diagrams, as are the chapters in the part two, which mainly provide data. Opening the book at random in this second part, I'm looking at the chapter titled "Optical Amplifiers," which is a reprint from a 1996 issue of the Annual Review of Communication, which is interesting given the logic in assuming that much progress would have been made in fiber-optic communication in the last ten years. This chapter gives the basics of optical amplifiers in 10 pages including the bibliography, going into a little detail about different types (semiconductor laser amplifiers, doped-fiber amplifiers, erbium doped fiber amplifiers, praseodymium doped flouride-fiber amplifiers, raman and brillouin amplifiers, and solitons). Despite the author's declared intention of addressing an audience with no background knowledge, I find the discussion rather impenetrable given my lack of knowledge of engineering. However, it does seem to present a lot of solid information in an efficient way.

Seems very useful for engineering students.

Encyclopedia of Furniture Materials, Trades, and Techniques

By Clive Edwards

Published by Ashgate, 2000.

This is a black, clothbound book measuring 10" by 10" and running to 254 pages including the bibliography. The printing and paper stock are very fine. The middle of the book has a section of beautiful color plates.

What the title doesn't say is that the book is primarily about the history of furniture making, rather than about contemporary techniques that a modern-day furniture maker would use (unless they are attempting to duplicate authentically an historical style), though some modern techniques are included. The introduction makes this clear, and also makes clear that furniture design is not covered, only furniture manufacture. The result is a very limited and specific reference book of use to a pretty small group.

For an idea of what is covered, here are the first fifteen entries in the "T" sequence, "see" reference excluded:

• Tabaret (Tabouret/Tabourette/Tabaray)
  
• Tabbinet
  
• Tabby
  
• Table opening and extending mechanisms
  
• Tacking
  
• Tacks
  
• Taffeta
  
• Tambour
  
• Tammy
  
• Tape joint
  
• Tapestry
  
• Tasmanian Oak
  
• Teak
  
• Templates
  
• Tension top
  

Entries range in length from a few lines to a few pages, but are mostly on the shorter end. The prose is clear, informative, and very British.

This is a valuable reference book with a very narrow focus.

Dictionary of Paper, 5th Edition

Edited by Michael Kouris.

Published by TAPPI Press, 1996.

This is a 7" by 10" clothbound book running to 347 pages, plus an introduction.

TAPPI is the leading technical association for the paper industry, so this dictionary can be considered authoritative.

A typical page has about a dozen definitions of technical terms relating to paper, in a two-column layout. Definitions average one to three sentences in length, with some longer ones here and there.

The first 15 terms defined in the "K" sequence are:

• KAOLIN
  
• KAPPA FACTOR
  
• KAPPA NUMBER
  
• KARAYA GUM
  
• K-B BOARD
  
• K-B SHEATHING
  
• KENAF
  
• KERNING
  
• KETONE
  
• KICK-UP
  
• KID FINISH
  
• KID WEDDINGS
  
• KINETIC FRICTION
  
• KITE PAPER
  
• KLASON LIGNIN
  

The terms above relate to paper in a variety of ways. "Kerning" is the process of adjusting the space between letters to achieve even spacing, so it's more of a term from typography than papermaking, but because it is commonly run-across in the paper industry it is included. Also here are terms from the chemistry of papermaking, words for plants and minerals used in papermaking, special types of paper for industrial applications, and paper treatments.

Understanding the definitions sometimes requires some knowledge of chemistry or of the paper industry, but not too much.

This is a unique and useful reference book.

Rules of Thumb for Engineers and Scientists

David Fisher, Editor.

Published by Gulf Publishing Company, 1991.

This is a slender, hardbound book measuring 6" by 9" and running to 242 pages including an appendix, bibliography and two indexes, plus a brief preface and introduction.

This is an unusual science reference book, because in science we are used to encountering hard facts. This book is a compilation of "rules of thumb," scientific "facts" on which scientists routinely use (albeit with caution) in going about their practical work which have never actually been proven. The preface says this:

In science, rules of thumb are poor relations of laws and, although useful, cannot always be depended upon. Perhaps because of this, there tends to be a marked reluctance to disseminate them widely. At the same time, they are frequently proposed in the literature. The present compilation is an attempt to begin to bridge this gap between supply and demand. It should not be assumed to be an exhaustive list of all the rules of thumb that have been discovered. Rather, it should be regarded as a "sampler" of such rules and is a miscellany of those I have found particularly useful or surprising.

The purpose of these rules of thumb is to help scientists and engineers estimate what will happen with the processes they're experimenting with.

Entries explaining these rules of thum range in length from a couple of sentences to over two pages. Understanding them requires knowledge of of chemistry and physics. Here is an example, just for fun:

DARZENS' RULE

It was suggested (Darzens, 1897) that:

L_e/T_b = f(T_b/T_c)

where L_e is the latent heat of evaporation, L_f is the latent heat of fusion, and T₁ is the temperature in degrees Kelvin at which the vapor pressure is equal to 1atm.

The appendix has handy tables of things like melting points, boiling points and critical temperatures of selected compounds and elastic moduli of metallic elements. The bibliography lists the works referenced as the original sources of the rules of thumb included in the book. The indexes include a general subject index and an index of independent variables used in the rules.

This seems to be a handy book for anyone working in a chemistry lab.

Standard Handbook of Fastening and Joining, Third Edition

Robert O. Parmley, P. E., Editor-in-Chief.

Published by McGraw-Hill, 1997.

This is a thick 6" by 9" hardbound book with 25 separately-paginated sections.

This is a book with data, diagrams, and standards information about engineering techniques and systems for fastening and joining.

The 25 sections in the book are:

1. Threaded Fasteners -- Descriptions and Standards
   
2. Standard Pins
   
3. Retaining Rings
   
4. Pipe Fastening
   
5. Expansion Joints
   
6. Welding
   
7. Concrete Fastening
   
8. Lumber, Timber & Log Connections
   
9. Locking Components
   
10. Electrical Connections
    
11. Adhesive Bonding
    
12. Industrial Riveting
    
13. Aerospace Fastening
    
14. Wire Rope and Cable Fastening
    
15. Injected Metal Assembly
    
16. Sheet Metal Assembly
    
17. Retaining Compounds
    
18. Rope Splicing and Tying
    
19. Shafts and Couplings
    
20. Seals and Packing
    
21. Self-Clinching Fasteners
    
22. Robotic Assembly
    
23. Innovative Connections
    
24. Metric & General Data
    

An index follows these sections.

Opening the book at random to section 19, page 9, we're in the middle of a section giving step-by-step instructions for splicing an eight-strand rope, fully illustrated. Randomly opening the book again we're at section 8, pages 22 and 23, in a discussion of the structural requirements, type of loading, lumber thickness and assembly considerations for lumber, timber and log connections, with a table on the right showing standar American timber sizes.

This is a very useful book for anyone who is getting into fastening or joining in a serious way.

Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics, Second Edition

Edited by Gavriel Salvendy.

Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1997.

This is a chunky hardcover book (red) measuring 6.5" by 9.5" and running 2137 pages in length including the index, plus preferatory material that includes a long table of contents.

Human engineering, or human factors, is an odd field to read about if you're not in engineering. The preface says:

"This handbook is concerned with the role of humans in complex systems, the design of equipment and facilities for human use, and the developments of environments for comfort and safety....

"The field of human factors and ergonomics has developed and broadened considerably since its formal inception more than 50 years ago and has generated a body of knowledge in the following broad areas of specialization:

• The human factors function
  
• Human factors fundamentals
  
• Equipment, workplace, and environmental design
  
• Design for health and safety
  
• Performance modeling
  
• Human-computer interface evaluation
  
• Selected applications of human factors
  

"The foregoing list shows how broad the field has become. As such, this Handbook should be of value to all human factors and ergonomics specialists, engineers, industrial hygenists, safety engineers, and computer scientists...

"The 4953 manuscript pages of the 60 chapters constituting the second edition of the Handbook were written by 112 people. In creating this Handbook, the authors gathered information from 5577 references and presented 264 tables and 599 figures to provide theoretically based and practically oriented material for use by both practitioners and researchers."

The 60 chapters of the book are in nine sections:

1. The Human Factors Function
   
2. The Human Factors Fundamentals
   
3. Job Design
   
4. Equipment, Workplace, and Environmental Design
   
5. Design for Health and Safety
   
6. Performance Modeling
   
7. Evaluation
   
8. Human-Computer Interaction
   
9. Selected Applications of Human Factors
   

For a sample of what's in here, I'll open the book three times at random and describe what I find... First time, I'm in the middle of a long bibliography at the end of the section, "Design for Macrogravity and Microgravity Environments." Second time, I'm in a section called "Virtual Environments," looking at subsections on "Language Instruction" and "Driving and Flight Training." In the section on language instruction virtual environments we read, "Using VE-technology, whether delays in cognitive development could be counteracted by initiating intensive human experiences within a virtual environment was investigated. The VE system setup, which was used to complement the existing educational methods and principles, offered large communicative and kinesthetic potential for students with speech impediments or physical disabilities." ...Third time, I'm in the broad section called "Job Design," in the subsection, "Task Analysis." The subsection with the heading "Psychical Perspectives" begins, "When studying how task parameters affect the human organism, it is of particular importance how information processing takes place: But the perspective will be restricted to the 'cost of information processing' and its implications to task analysis."

Reading about human factors can be spooky, because it's premised on the treatment of people (always called "humans" in the field) as means rather than as ends, and because it is literally a science of more smoothly and effectively incorporating people into engineered systems. This book, containing a summary of significant research findings in this vast field of study, is useful to people whose work involves doing this, and enlightening for others who would like to be aware of the contemporary science behind turning people into cogs in the machine.

A Historical Dictionary of American Industrial Language

Edited by William H. Mulligan, Jr.

Published by Greenwood Press, 1988.

This is a cloth-bound book of 6"X9" running 333 pages including the bibliography and index.

It is simply a dictionary of terms used in American industry throughout its history. Entries do not specify the time periods in which the terms were in use, but simply provide brief definitions of them.

As an example of depth and scope, page 181 has the following entries:

Pegger
Pegging awl
Pegging jack
Pegging machine
Pegs
Pelican
Pellet powder
Penetration macadam
Penstock
Penthouse
Percussion drilling
Perfecting press
Perier
Permissible explosive
Perpetual screw
Pet cock

(This page was selected completely at random and not for the number of apparent double-entendres, which are actually rather representative.)

Definitions of terms run mostly one to three lines in length and require some knowledge of industrial vocabulary to understand. For example,

"Perpetual screw: in power transmission a screw without longitudinal motion acting upon a wheel whose cogs have a pitch coincident with that of the worm."

The book seems most useful to people doing historical research that involves understanding primary source texts having to do with American industry.

The Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology, Second Edition

Edited by Aaron L. Brody and Kenneth S. March.

Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1997

This is a big 9"X11" hardbound book of 1023 pages, not including the long list of contributors, the preface, and the introduction.

The book is, as the title indicates, an encyclopedia of packaging technology. The entries look at packaging from an industrial engineering perspective, with much detail.

As an example, the entry CLOSURES, BOTTLE AND JAR is thirteen and a half pages and has the following section headings:

Closure functions
Methods of closure
Types of closure
Sealing systems
Closure materials
Closure selection
Closure specification
Closure trends

The bibliography to this article is a page in length and has 59 entries.

Here are some of the other entry headings, randomly selected:

COEXTRUSION MACHINERY, TUBULAR
DECORATING
ECONOMICS OF PACKAGING
FOAM PLASTICS
HOLOGRAPHIC PACKAGING
INDIA PACKAGING
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT
LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS, THERMOTROPIC
NUTRITION LABELING
RECYCLING, EUROPE
ROBOTS

Fan Engineering: An Engineer's Handbook on Fans and Their Applications

Edited by Robert Jorgensen.

Eight Edition.

Published by Buffalo Forge Company, 1983.

This is fat paperback of 4.5" by 6.5". It's hard to tell how many pages there are, because the pagination is by numbered sections, but it's a good 1.75" thick.

The book is full of engineering data - coefficients, tables, charts, equations, graphs, etc., all having to do with fans.

The chapters are as follows:

Part I - Fundamentals
1. Properties of air and other gases
2. Fluid flow
3. Transmission and distribution of air
4. Sound
5. Heat transmission
6. Mass transfer process
7. Particles and particle clouds
8. Engineering statistics

Part II - Fans
9. Fan Terminology
10. Centrifugal fans
11. Axial-flow fans
12. Fan laws
13. Fan testing
14. Fan systems
15. Fan control
16. Fan noise
17. Fan mechanics
18. Fan motors and drives
19. Fan selection

Part III - Fan applications
20. Ventilations
21. Winter and summer air conditioning
22. Mechanical draft
23. Local exhaust
24. Conveying
25. Air-cooled heat exchangers
26. Drying and related processes
27. Air blast and other pneumatic devices
28. Handling hot and corrosive gases
29. Air cleaning

Part IV - Appendices
A. Units, dimensions, and dimensionless numbers
B. Nomenclature
C. Conversion factors and equivalents
D. Properties of materials
E. Metal product information
F. Miscellaneous data
G. Selected bibliography
H. Buffalo Forge Company products

Some pages have large charts that unfold from the book.

The amount of information packed into this book is rather amazing, and it's interesting to contemplate how much knowledge goes into the creation of a typical (or not so typical) fan. That said, it's not useful if you're not an engineer or an engineering student.