Message from Dean - May 8th 2007

I am currently testing out a new version of the APF Bridge Component - If you notice any errors within this demo store please drop me a line.

Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 621.381
EAN: 9780521370950
Edition: 2
ISBN: 0521370957
Label: Cambridge University Press
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 1125
Publication Date: July 28, 1989
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Studio: Cambridge University Press

---

Alternate Versions: Click to Display

Related Items:

• Practical Electronics for Inventors
• Getting Started in Electronics
• The Circuit Designer's Companion, Second Edition (EDN Series for Design Engineers)
• Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics, Fourth Edition
• Electronic Sensor Circuits & Projects
• see more

Browse for similar items by category:

• Books > Specialty Stores > Custom Stores > Foreign Language Books > French > Nonfiction
• Books > Specialty Stores > Custom Stores > Foreign Language Books > French > Professional & Technical
• Books > Specialty Stores > Custom Stores > Foreign Language Books > French > All French Books
• Books > Specialty Stores > Custom Stores > New & Used Textbooks > Engineering > Electrical & Electronic Engineering
• Books > Specialty Stores > Custom Stores > New & Used Textbooks > Engineering > General AAS

---

Editorial Review:

Product Description:
This is the thoroughly revised and updated Second Edition of the hugely successful The Art of Electronics. Widely accepted as the single, authoritative text and reference on electronic circuit design, both analog and digital, this book has sold over 120,000 copies, and has been translated into eight languages. This book revolutionized the teaching of electronics by emphasizing the methods actually used by circuit designers--a combination of some basic laws, rules of thumb, and a large bag of tricks. The result is a largely nonmathematical treatment that encourages circuit intuition, brain storming, and simplified calculations of circuit values and performance. This completely new edition responds to the breakneck pace of change in electronics with totally rewritten chapters on microcomputers and microprocessors, substantially revised chapters on digital electronics, on op-amps and precision design, and on construction techniques. Every table has been revised, and many new ones have been added. The new Art of Electronics retains the feeling of informality and easy access that made the first edition so successful and popular.




Rating: - Not useful for learning electronics on your own.
I've put a lot of effort into reading this book in an attempt to learn practical electronics. There are some very good points about this book. It covers a lot of the subject, from simple resistors to microcomputers to radio-frequency circuits and the authors are careful to explain how to make circuits that are resistant to component tolerance. I like this fail-safe approach.

On the other hand, from the point of view of someone learning this on his own (i.e. not in a classroom setting with a professor/T.A. to ask questions of) it leaves a lot to be desired. As I read this, time and time again I was reminded of that Far Side cartoon where the scientist has a blackboard full of formulas, with "THEN MAGIC HAPPENS" near the bottom and then the result. Too many steps are skipped when explaining the solution. A good example is the "error" reported by "larry f" in his review. This is not actually an error, but the explanation is missing some key insights that would have made the solution ... Read More

---

Rating: - Beware of jargon!
This is a great and exhaustive text on the topic of circuit design. However it fails at the stated goal in the first sentence of the preface:

"This volume is intended as an electronic circuit design textbook and reference book; it begins at a level suitable for those with no previous exposure to electronics and carries the reader through to a reasonable degree of proficiency in electronic circuit design." (emphasis on "no previous exposure")

I came into this book with a strong background in solid-state physics, electrostatics and electrodynamics. I could explain to you the difference between a pnp and an npn junction and apply Kirchoff's laws to a basic circuit. I could explain to you the covariant formulation of Maxwell's equations. However I was already struggling by the second chapter.

Here are some sample sentences from the first two chapters of the book that are provided with no real context (i.e. they are assumed to be self-explanatory). If the ... Read More

---

Rating: - Fabulous
Encyclopedic coverage, clear explanations. Especially good for analog electronics. Among beginners, all but the brightest will be overwhelmed and perplexed. This is the book you need to help you advance from "good" to "top notch".

My experience is that of a theoretical physicist who likes to tinker. I have the first edition, purchased about 1980, after I had already designed my own low noise, low quiescent current, rail-to-rail power op-amp (at a time when they were not commercially available at anything resembling a reasonable price). I certainly wish I had encountered this wonderful book even sooner.

---

Rating: - Not for Beginners
You can reasonably assume from the price of this volume alone it is not something for beginning electronic circuit design enthusiasts.

Thankfully I had a couple of semesters of electronic theory and circuit design before my wife purchased "The Art of Electronics" as a gift. If not I would have been way over my head. For those with a basic grounding (no pun) in electronics you really can't go wrong with this book however I would suggest an additional purchase of the "Student Manual for The Art of Electronics."

---

Rating: - THE book on electronics
An excellent text and an excellent reference. Clear enough for the novice and in-depth enough for the experienced.

---