BSL Transport Phenom. vs. BSLK Introductory Transport Phenom

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the comparison of two textbooks on transport phenomena: "Transport Phenomena" (BSL) and "Introductory Transport Phenomena" (BSLK). Participants are exploring their suitability for self-study, particularly in terms of mathematical rigor and clarity of explanations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant highlights that BSLK claims to provide more detailed mathematical derivations and fuller explanations, aiming to cater to undergraduate students' comprehension.
  • Another participant requests specific bibliographic details for the books to facilitate proper discussion.
  • A participant expresses a lack of familiarity with the books, indicating a gap in knowledge among some members.
  • One contributor praises BSL as an excellent textbook, noting its effectiveness for undergraduate courses and suggesting that its mathematical derivations encourage learning, despite some steps being omitted.
  • Another participant shares a positive experience with BSLK, emphasizing the thoroughness of its derivations and the strong understanding it fosters in transport phenomena.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on which book is superior, as participants express varied experiences and preferences regarding the two texts. Some participants favor BSL for its learning experience, while others appreciate the rigor of BSLK.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not reached a resolution regarding the overall effectiveness of either book for self-study, and there are differing opinions on the importance of mathematical rigor versus clarity in explanations.

humphreybogart
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I'd like to purchase one of these books for self-study. The BSLK Introductory Transport Phenomena claims:

"Devoting more space to mathematical derivations and providing fuller explanations of mathematical developments—including a section of the appendix devoted to mathematical topics—allows students to comprehend transport phenomena concepts at an undergraduate level."

Also, from the Preface:

"You will find that considerably more space has been devoted to filling in missing steps in mathematical derivations and to fuller explanations of mathematical developments, including an enlargement of the appendix devoted to mathematical topics; in addition, much material has been removed that we felt was beyond the level of mathematical preparation of most undergraduates. Our intention was to make this book reflect the topics covered in our undergraduate course, with the exception of a few advanced topics for the brightest students. Finally, we removed the chapters dealing with two independent variables and replaced them with chapters on dimensional analysis, including the much-used Buckingham pi theorem."

Does anyone have experience of the two, and could you offer your comparisons and comments? I will be self-studying.
 
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I've no clue about which books you are talking about. Citing correctly is the 0th step for successful communication in science. So please give the authors, title, publisher, edition, and year of the books, so that they can be uniquely identified. Maybe some of the readers here know them and can tell you whether they are worth reading.
 
Transport Phenomena (2nd edition) by https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=R.+Byron+Bird&search-alias=books-uk&field-author=R.+Byron+Bird&sort=relevancerank&tag=, https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_2?ie=UTF8&text=Warren+E.+Stewart&search-alias=books-uk&field-author=Warren+E.+Stewart&sort=relevancerank&tag=, https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_3?ie=UTF8&text=Edwin+N.+Lightfoot&search-alias=books-uk&field-author=Edwin+N.+Lightfoot&sort=relevancerank&tag=

Introductory Transport Phenomena (1st edition) by https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=R.+Byron+Bird&search-alias=books-uk&field-author=R.+Byron+Bird&sort=relevancerank&tag=, https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_2?ie=UTF8&text=Warren+E.+Stewart&search-alias=books-uk&field-author=Warren+E.+Stewart&sort=relevancerank&tag= , https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_3?ie=UTF8&text=Edwin+N.+Lightfoot&search-alias=books-uk&field-author=Edwin+N.+Lightfoot&sort=relevancerank&tag= & Daniel J. Klingenberg
 
Unfortunately I don't know these books :-(.
 
I've never used Introductory Transport Phenomena, but the standard version of BSL is an excellent textbook by itself. Perhaps my favorite textbook ever. I've used it for junior year courses in transport phenomena and mass transfer and a senior year course in process modeling and never felt it unsuitable for undergraduate students. The lack of steps in mathematical derivations and solutions may encourage you to learn new bits of math (even if it's the cookbook way) in order to prove what the authors show. This textbook really offers a remarkable learning experience, not just for chemical engineers, but for any scientist interested in modeling fluid dynamics, heat transfer and mass transfer processes.
 
Used BSLK in the first possible semester that BSLK was available. Before the semester began, I was very glad that we would be using BSLK, because of the mentioned extra details in the derivations. In my experience using BSLK, the derivations (which I studied thoroughly) allow for a very strong understanding of transport phenomena. I am the type of person who does not like to lose out on opportunities to be exposed to high levels of rigor, and I did not find this to be lacking.
 

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