Building Scientific Apparatus is a unique single-volume reference for the scientist or engineer whose work requires the construction of unique apparatus. The basic principles of mechanics, optics and electronics required in the design of laboratory devices are covered in sufficient detail that reference to other texts is seldom necessary. Technical skills such as glassblowing, machining, mechanical drawing, soldering, are described along with many of the “tricks of the trade” that cannot be found elsewhere. The text describes the design and workings of components such as vacuum pumps, mirrors and lenses, and electronic circuits. The appropriate integration of components into a working apparatus is discussed, as is the questions of whether components are to be fabricated or purchased. In the latter case, text helps with the writing of specifications. Building Scientific Apparatus features clear, concise text. There are comprehensive tables of materials properties, and the characteristics of optical, electronic, and thermal devices. The text is complemented by hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations.Previous editions of Building Scientific Apparatus have become the standard text for practicing scientists and engineers who build their own laboratory apparatus. The book is the ideal introduction for graduate students beginning research in the physical, engineering, or biological sciences—even the social sciences when apparatus is required. The book has a definite appeal and usefulness for amateur scientists as well. At least a quarter of the Third Edition of Building Scientific Apparatus is new material. The remaining text has been reviewed and updated, as have many of the illustrations.
croscopy, nonlinear imaging of ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials, laser interferometry, dielectrometry, fiber sensors and biosensors, magnetooptics, laser noise and instabilities, atmospheric turbulence, and optical communication systems. He is the author of Lasers and Electro-Optics: Fundamentals and Engineering . He has been lauded for his contributions to engineering education at the University of Maryland. Professor Davis is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and the IEEE.Michael Coplan is Research Professor in the Institute for Physical Sciences and Technology at the University of Maryland. He received the Ph.D. from Yale University and did postdoctoral work at the Faculté des Sciences of the University of Paris in electrochemistry and at the University of Chicago in high-temperature gas kinetics. At the University of Maryland his research interests include electron-atom scattering physics, electron correlation in atoms, and space physics. He has been recognized for his development and teaching of undergraduate and graduate courses in electronics. Professor Copland is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.Sandra Greer is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Chemical Engineering. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and worked for ten years as a Research Chemist at the National Bureau of Standards. Her research involves experimental investigation of critical phenomena and phase transitions in polymers. Other campus activities include the development of a course in Ethics in Science and Engineering. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2003, she won the prestigious Francis P. Garvin - John M. Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society. The award recognizes distinguished service to chemistry by women chemists who are citizens of the United States.
