Some recent books (continued)
methods of control of machine tools,
currents (either alternating or direct) can
be fed to a polyphase rotor winding.
If the latter is a 2-phase arrangement, for
example, the values of direct current in the
two windings can be varied so as to produce
an artificial angle of Jag or lead of rotor flux,
as in a loaded synchronous machine. If low-
frequency alternating current is fed to the
rotor, the machine becomes a variable-speed
synchronous motor or generator.
The book contains a theoretical treatment
for this type of machine which is likely to
interest the specialist. Although it is
excellently produced, it is very expensive,
as it contains only 75 pages.
E. R. LAITHWA1TE
North of the Border
B. R. MYERS
Vantage Press, 1963. 214 pp. $3.95
In 1959 the author, then an English immi-
grant to the United States, accepted an
invitation to a new chair of electrical
engineering at a Canadian university. Less
than two years after taking it up, he decided,
because a variety of conditions were not to
his liking, to return.
The first third of this book is a treatment,
quite superficial, of life in Canada as it
appeared to him. The remaining two-thirds
reviews Canadian engineering education.
The stated purposes of the book are to
illuminate and constructively criticise the
Canadian scene and to alert the prospective
immigrant to (as the author rather curiously
puts it) certain matters on which he would
otherwise have no reason to ponder.
There is no doubt that, to meet the fore-
going specification, a work should be,
above all, accurate and objective; at the
same time there would be little point in
publishing unless it met certain minimum
standards of literary merit. 'North of the
Border' is deficient in all these qualities.
It is intensely subjective; it contains suspect
generalisations, inferences offered as facts
and a number of inaccuracies. In addition
to these deficiencies, the whole tone of the
book is gratuitously denigrating of a
country to which a certain minimum of
guest-to-host esteem was due. The reader
looks in vain for any serious pronounce-
ment by the author on what he wished
to contribute, a purpose that might be
generally considered as an integral part of
an educator's personality. F. GALL
Taschenbuch der Nachrichten-verarbcitung
K. STEINBUCH (Editor)
Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1962. 1521 pp.
DM98
This is a co-operative work on data and
information processing written by 47
specialists from German industry and edu-
cation. The declared object of the work is
to provide the engineer, mathematician,
physicist and executive with a view of the
subject as a whole. This it certainly does.
In 1500 pages there is a vast amount of
information, ranging over digital and ana-
logue computers practical data-processing
290
machines, tape and other automatic
particle motions) and the macroscopic
letter sorting, automatic methods of traffic
control and Boolean algebra. As a reference
book in the German language it is doubtless
invaluable; it suffers, of course, from the
same defects of overcompression of
material as any other handbook. A trans-
lation into English would not serve a
useful purpose in view of the many existing
works on the subject. G. s. BROSAN
Matrices, their meaning and manipulation *
W. G. BICKLEY a n d R. S. H. G. THOMPSON
English Universities Press, 1964. 164 pp.
21s.
This book is based on lectures given to
third-year and postgraduate engineering
students of Imperial College. The authors
aim to familiarise the reader with the lan-
guage of matrixes and to provide infor-
mation on the necessary techniques for the
arithmetical solution of problems which
depend on linear equations.
The text opens with a selection of
problems, the mathematical formulation
of which leads to sets of linear algebraic or
differential equations in which matrix alge-
bra can be used effectively. Matrix algebra
is then developed and special matrixes are
considered, followed by applications of
matrix products. The solutions of systems
of linear equations are next considered,
as well as various concepts and methods
concerning these solutions, including pivotal
condensation, ill-conditioned equations,
inversion of matrixes, the improvement of
an approximate inverse, and iterative pro-
cesses. The later chapters are concerned
with eigenvalues and eigenvectors and
their properties, eigenvector matrixes, and
the determination of eigenvectors and of the
characteristic equation.
Many exercises for solution together with
hints and answers are provided throughout
the book, some of the examples being
intended to indicate extensions and appli-
cations of the theory.
While the work is intended to provide an
introduction to matrixes and to some of
their applications, qualified engineers and
advanced students who have some know-
ledge of the subject will find this informative
treatment of the material of considerable
interest and value. F. H. JACKSON
Elements of plasma physics
S. GARTENHAUS
Holt, Rinehart & Winston, London, 1964.
198 pp. 3 16s.
In recent years, appreciation of the poten-
tial uses of plasmas in practical devices
has resulted in the publication of a
large number of research papers on the
many aspects of the subject. Prof. Garten-
haus's book is written primarily for the
research-minded student who wishes to
proceed from a degree-level knowledge of
plasmas to the deeper insight gained from
articles on current research. The subject-
matter of the book is limited mainly to the
description of a plasma given by the
Boltzmann-Vlasov equation. This equation
is essentially the bridge between the micro-
scopic picture of a plasma (in terms of
equations of plasma behaviour.
After introductory chapters outlining
standard electromagnetic theory and
charged-particle dynamics in electric and
magnetic fields, the Boltzmann-Vlasov
equation is derived, and practical applica-
tions of the equation are demonstrated by
using it to obtain the macroscopic equations
governing magnetoplasmadynamic flow and
plasma oscillations.
The book is well produced, and the author
has obviously made considerable efforts to
help the reader gain a lucid and critical
picture of current work in this field. To this
end, much recent work is included, and
selected reading matter and problems are
provided at the end of each chapter.
While the text is hardly of general
interest, research students and workers in
plasma physics will find it an excellent aid
in appreciating this important, but often
poorly understood, fundamental descrip-
tion ol a plasma. i. R. MCNAB
Brains, machines and mathematics
M. A. ARBIB
McGraw-Hill, 1964. 152 pp. 54s.
The title of this book of 150 pages
does not do justice to its contents. It is
really about the theoretical aspects of
information technology as it has evolved
since the war. It concerns the quest for
the ultimate possibilities of machines,
machines that can store information and
can change their procedures accordingly
with past successes or failures. In particular,
the digital computer and its derivatives, the
'finite automata', are explained and ana-
logies to the more elementary aspects of
animal neurons demonstrated. The use of
value-words like 'superior' and 'intelligent',
and of metaphors, too, when comparing
computers and brains, need not deter the
sensitive reader; the technical material is
presented clearly, precisely and widely.
The writer is well qualified to write on the
subject. c. CHERRY
Vector fields
W . B. BOAST
Harper and Row, 1964. 620 pp. 3 19s.
The introduction of vector methods at an
early stage in a degree course is to be
encouraged, but it is clear that certain
difficulties arise if one insists on doing
everything the vector way, as Boast does.
For example the proof of the formula
S>Hdl= I involves a double line integral
whose value is 477, but this is stated without
proof. This is surely less satisfactory than
the simple (but in principle rigorous) proof
of the above equation which can be given
with the help of the magnetic-shell concept.
The dust cover claims that vector analysis
is given 'full treatment' in an appendix,
but this is difficult to accept when there is
no discussion of the difficult concepts of
line, surface, and volume integrals.
Most of the book is devoted to static
fields. Maxwell's equations, the wave
Electronics and Power August 1964
equation and retarded potentials are given
only 11 pages. Retarded potentials are
introduced with no justification, and it is
never even stated, let alone proved, that
A good deal of attention is paid to
numerical methods in solving static-field
problems. Computer flow charts are given
for a few problems, and the results are
discussed. Flux plotting is also discussed
in some detail, and a number of examples
are given to illustrate its application. These
last two topics occupy 100 pages and a
special feature of the book.
There are plenty of problems at the end
of each chapter, but no solutions. On the
whole, the problems are very conservative
in character and do little to stimulate the
students' imagination.
The book will probably be found useful
for occasional reference by undergraduate
students; many aspects in static-field theory
are worked out in great detail. It is, how-
ever, generally too slow-moving and too
uneven in level to be recommended as an
undergraduate textbook. A. L. CULLEN
Magneto-hydrodynamic generation of
electrical power*
R. A. COOMBE (Editor)
Chapman and Hall, 1964. 207 pp. 30s.
M.H.D. generation has, understandably,
attracted the attention of research teams
in many countries, but unfortunately
results can be obtained only by the expendi-
ture of large sums, sponsored at national
levels.
It is therefore refreshing that the editor
of this book took the initiative to compile
a series of lectures to cover very adequately
for engineers the principles, characteristics,
and possibilities of an application of one of
Faraday's discoveries. These lectures, given
in 1962, form the basis of the present text,
which is quite up to date for the engineer
who requires good background information
on the subject.
Tn view of the wide range of scientific
principles involved with this form of
generation, including the seeding of an
ionising gas, the use of superconducting
materials, temperatures ranging up to
4000C etc., the group of scientists who
contributed to this book provide an
excellent combination for dealing with the
subject. An adequate list of references is
included. F. BARRELL
The art of simulation
K. D . TOCHER
English Universities Press, 1964.
184 pp. 25s.
Until about 15 years ago, statisticians
and indeed scientists generallyusually
tried to obtain an analytical solution to
any problem that seemed likely to have
one. With the coming of electronic digital
computers, an easily calculable solution
became less important. One of the new
possibilities was statistical simulation, i.e.
the numerical computation of many specific
solutions, randomised as far as possible,
in order to discover their distribution.
Electronics and Power August 1964
It would be wrong to suppose, however,
that a naive approach plus plentiful com-
puting capacity solves all problems. We
usually need to know the probability of
highly improbable occurrences. Estimating
it by simple simulation is like trying the
measure the failure rate of a very reliable
component: simple problems could take
years of computing.
Practical simulation depends on choosing
the most efficient methods of sampling and
estimation. The general principle is to
construct a random variate (or set of
variates) with the minimum variance, by
elimination of any known systematic
effects; this is the central topic of the
book.
The theoretical basis of the methods is
admirably stated; so is their realisation as
flow diagrams for computation, examples
of both queuing and cyclic problems being
given. There is also a good critical summary
of methods of generating random and
pseudorandom numbers.
The book is heartily recommended, not
only to practitioners of the art, but to any
engineer with an interest in statistical
methods. K. w. CATTERMOLE
[Not held in the Institution library.]
Boolean algebra and its application
H. G. FLEGG
Blackie, 1964. 261 pp. 2 10s.
Ordinary algebra deals with generalised
arithmetic; Boolean algebra deals with
classes or groups within a larger population.
It was first introduced by Prof. Boole in
1847 under the title of 'The mathematical
analysis of logic', tn modern electrical
terms it might be called the algebra of
Midlands Electricity Board to use ripple control
The Midlands Electricity Board have recently
ordered ripple-control equipment, which is
to be installed at the 275/66kV Grid supply
point at Feckenham, Worcestershire. The
initial installation will give a control signal
over several hundred square miles of the
surrounding area and is a pilot scheme to
enable theoretical and practical studies of
this method of control to be investigated,
when associated with an extensive 66 kV
distribution network. The results of these
studies will be used as a basis for consider-
ing the application of similar schemes to
the 132kV system, so that coverage
can be obtained of larger areas and
loads with the minimum number of in-
jection points.
Basically, ripple control comprises a
transmitter at an appropriate point in the
electricity network and receivers that are
fitted to individual items of equipment
throughout the supply system. The trans-
mitter injects signals into the network, and
these pass through the system. Each receiver
is set to act on a particular signal. A large
number of separate signals can be injected
into the mains network, and these can be
used for such different purposes as switching
on and off storage heaters, water heaters,
switching, and in recent years Boolean
algebra has played an increasingly impor-
tant part in the development of circuits for
computing, communication and control.
The book under review has been written
with these engineering applications in mind.
The author has attempted to provide an
elementary account of the essential prin-
ciples, assuming no previous specialised
knowledge. He starts with a chapter on
binary numbers before proceeding to the
basic operations of the algebra. Having
established the principles, he applies them
to switching circuits. The first half of the text
is well within the capabilities of any intelli-
gent engineer. Indeed, some of the earlier
material could well be used in arithmetic
courses in schools. There are numerous
helpful diagrams and worked examples, as
well as graded exercises at the end of the
chapters. The second half of the book
involves some of the concepts of electrical-
network theory and matrix algebra. This
work is to be welcomed and can be
thoroughly recommended as a readable and
authoritative introduction to Boolean alge-
bra for engineers. M. R. GAVIN
Books received
Nuclear electronics. Paris, OECD, Euro-
pean Nuclear Energy Agency, 1964.
860 pp. 3 3s. (Proceedings of the inter-
national symposium on nuclear electronics,
held in Paris, 25th-27th November 1963.
Papers in French and English. French
papers have summaries in English)
Directory of opportunities for qualified men,
1964-65 edited by C. Labovitch. Corn-
market Press, 1964. 158 pp. 12s. 6d.
street lightingand individual industrial loads.
This gives great flexibility in control: it
allows engineers to continue to maintain
off-peak tariffs right up to the time that
normal demand increases, thus giving the
consumer a better service and enabling the
board to sell more electricity.
The Feckenham scheme, which is the
first of its kind and size in Britain, will
comprise audio-frequency injection at
300 c/s, using parallel injection into the
66 kV system. At the present time, the
system has a maximum load of 230 MW.
For controlling off-peak loads, relays will
be installed in place of spring reserve time
switches on consumers' premises and, for test
purposes, on individual pieces of equipment.
It is intended that experiments will be
carried out on the control of off-peak loads
and in analysing the load characteristics of
various domestic appliances. This can be
done using theflexibilityof operation which
the telecontrol system provides.
The equipment is capable of sending
out 254 different command signals, and a
number of these have high-security codes
so that they can be used for system switch-
ing, such as the control of transformer
tap changers for load reduction.
291