Thursday, August 8, 2013

Just Getting Started



Welcome to my blog. My goal with this blog is to discuss the books I write with my readers and related topics that will help them better understand the subject matter of the books. The first technical book I wrote was titled Modeling Engineering Systems (MES). The subject of that book was the creation of math models of dynamic systems and the manipulation of those models to meet steady-state and dynamic performance criteria. I particularly wanted my readers to understand that all engineering systems, whether they be electrical, mechanical, fluid, or thermal, look alike mathematically. So, for example, if one understands a math model of an electrical circuit, they will also understand that same math model can be used to study the behavor of a mechanical or fluid systems. I believe that every engineer and technician can understand math modeling if a teacher makes the effort to explain in plain language the steps in the design process and uses real life design examples. Apparently there are a lot of others engineers and technicians who agree with this teaching because my book has received many 5-star reviews on Amazon.com.

Recently, I created a Kindle eBook version MES and will soon have an iBook version in ePub format on the iTunes bookstore. I like eBooks because they can keep the price of technical books down and the author can make corrections and have a closer relationship with their readers through website such as mine at jackwlewis.surberstation.com. I read awhile ago that eBooks now have 25% share of all books sold in the US.

Now that Apple has come out with iBooks, I've discovered a way to make my future books interactive with Apple's "widgets" so I can have lab projects and simulators built into my book. I'm working now on a series of iBooks that will explore the fascinating world of feedback control systems. The first volume in this series entitled "Feedback Control Systems Demystified - Volume 1" should be out in a few months. In the meantime, I have posted on my website a sample widget you can experiments with. Let me know what you thinks and/or what you would like to see.