Engineering Principles in Everyday Life for Non-Engineers

Saeed Benjamin Niku is a professor of mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, California. He has taught courses in mechanics, robotics, design, and creativity, and has been involved in the design of many products, including many assistive devices for the disabled and new robotic devices. Dr. Niku's publications include a statics workbook, an introduction to robotic analysis book (in its second edition), and a creative design of products and systems book. He enjoys making furniture and utilitarian products as well as artistic artifacts with wood, metals, glass, leather, and other materials. He received a B.S. mechanical engineering from Tehran Polytechnic in 1975, an M.S. mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 1976, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Davis in 1982. Dr. Niku is a licensed professional engineer in the State of California.

• Prologue.- Entropy: Natural Orders, Thermodynamics, Friction, Hybrid Cars, and Energy.- Natural Frequencies: Vibrations, Hearing, Biomechanics, and Guitars.- Coriolis Acceleration and its Effects: Bikes, Weather Systems, Airplanes, and Robots.- Thermodynamic Cycles: Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Engines, and Power Cycles.- Moments of Inertia: Mass and Area Moments of Inertia, Accelerations, Inertial Forces, Strengths, and Strains.- Electromotive Force: Motors, Transformers, AC and DC Currents.- Author's Biography.- Index .