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Materials: This is a subject that most of the population know nothing about, and care less. But it is a vital part of our modern world. And materials affect many decisions that we make. Many of todays products, from carbon fibre squash raquets and chrome-molybdenum racing bikes to cars with "alloy head" engines and teflon coated/copper bottomed frypans, are sold on the basis of the materials they are made from. If you continue to ignore the science of materials, then you will continue to rely on advertising agencies for information about what you spend your hard earned cash on. And that is NOT the way to get ahead.
This book is the best introduction to the subject of materials that I have ever seen. And for once I do know what I'm talking about: I have a PhD in materials Engineering.
But this book is not written for PhDs (though most of them keep a copy around the place, along with Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down) No, this is a book aimed at the Undergraduate level, which means anyone who has finished highschool. My Girlfriend just finished reading this book and although she has not done physics or similar maths since highschool in the 1980s, she had very little trouble with anything in the book. Mind you she had no trouble at all with Structures, so that may be a better choice to start with.
Nevertheless, providing you have a highschool education, you can read both these books. And you'll really enjoy them. One advantage of an author like Gordon is that he has a lot of practical, real world stories that he can tell to illustrate various aspects of his subject. And Gordon chooses the most entertaining stories to do this with. You become so engrossed in the story that you forget that you are learning. And then at the end of the book you find yourself understanding a whole new subject. And seeing examples all around you.
The New Science of Strong Materials
Structures: Or, Why Things Don't Fall Down
by J. E. Gordon
This is the second book by J.E. Gordon on popular engineering. Even so it is probably the one that deserves to be read first. His book on materials, while excellent, does tend to assume that the reader is slightly more familiar with some engineering concepts. This is probably due to the constant difficulty encountered by experts writing for beginners. After working for a lifetime in a field where everyone is familiar with a subject one can forget just how much the average person does not know. With "Structures" Gordon is dealing with a subject that is very slightly out of his area, so it is easier for him to notice that he is mentioning a concept that is not "common knowledge".
It should be mentioned that I had exactly the same problem while reading. It did not occur to me that anything mentioned in either book would not be obvious to a member of the general public. It was not until I discussed the works with friends of mine whom did not have any math/science background that this slight difficulty became apparent.
In any case, if you are concerned that some areas may be a little difficult, read "Structures" first. This book introduces the same concepts, but in a way that makes it even simpler to understand, while at the same time not being in the least bit boring.
I personally found structures to be the most interesting of the two books, probably because it dealt with subjects that I was less familiar with. Using the simple principals of Engineering, Gordon is able to show that Cathedrals, bats, aircraft, and trees are all logical answers to the same structural questions, and that the radically different results are
1.Not so radically different after all, and
2.The result of different priorities and resources, the process of which can be easily understood by the reader.
So, if you want to know why aeroplanes were made of sticks and string in World War One, but rivetted Aluminium in World War Two; why Gothic Cathedrals have statues on top; and why even now, almost everything is still made out of wood, then you'll really benefit from reading these two books.
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