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298 Books several artists today), are well presented. Nomenclature is well defined and the mechanics of basic optical systems are presented. Beyond the fundamental concepts presented in this book, the optics of multiple lenses, a mathematicalstudy ,is touchedupon only in its most basic form. The lack of equations is a serious defect, if one should wish to use the book as a ‘how to’ text. Thediscussionofpolarizedlightshouldbeofinterest to those who wish to explorethis phenomena on an elementarylevel. A discussion of illuminationis included, which is rarelypresentedinabookofthistype. Fundamental physical concepts, such as the inverse square law, are clearly illustrated. A discussionof light sources describesthevarioustypesnowavailableforgenerating light, including their efficiencies. However, this section, as many others, is not complete as it does not go into the new solid-statesourcesof light (such as diode emitters). One of the most glaring omissionsis a discussion of the Land color theory. Edwin Land has shown clearlythat two colors are allthat are necessaryand sufficientto enable the eye to see a complete multihued image (his theory is called the ‘retinex’). This has basically challenged the Young-Helmholtz three-colortheory, which is, unfortunately, still the one set forth in most textbooks, including this one. Since Land has shown that the eye can see what appears to be a full-color image when a scene is presented to it with only two fairly monochromatic wavelengths, the Young-Helmholtz color theory shouldno longerbepresented asthe simpleexplanation of how we see color. Since the Land theory is nearly ten years old now, one might expect that it shouldhave diffuseddown to textbooklevelby now. The appendixof the book includes an eight-page description of the laser, which is inadequatealthoughit maygivethe readerthevaguefeelingthat he understands something about the laser after having read it. The attempt to present things simply in this kind of book reminds me of the small boy asking his father how a radio works and being told by ‘electricity ,’ demonstrated by plugging the radio into an electrical outlet. The child, having heard the word and havingbeen shownan experiment,then mayfeel that he fully understands how a radio works, when in facthe has onlybeen taught a bit of nomenclature. The Designof Design. Gordon L. Glegg. Cambridge University Press, London, 1969.93pp., illus. $3.50. Reviewed by: S.I ( .Gbaswala* Designing is one of the most important aspects of engineering,sinceit enablesanengineertodetermine whether his process, structure or product is goingto stand or fall; float or sink; work or fail; remain intact or break. Invariably mathematics and mechanics are involved in calculating the strength of a beam, a column or a rotating shaft, or the flutter of aeroplanewings. In each of these calcula- * Edena, 97 Queens Road, Bombay 20, India. tions, the designs have to be distinct and different, based on special knowledge and experience. If, therefore,itshouldbepossibletoevolvesomegeneral laws that are not tied to any particular design but are concerned with the design of design in general, they would be invaluableto engineers. This is what the author has attempted to do in this slim volume. The author, a consultingengineerand Lecturerin Engineering at Cambridge University, presents a large number of examples to show how designers work. According to the author, there are three facets of design activity, namely, the inventive, the artistic and the logical. Each of these is dealt with in a separate chapter. In dealing with the inventive mind, he suggests concentration and relaxation as essential preliminaries ,though he admitsthat there is no logical order for subsequent signposts. As he rightly maintains,the inventivemind shouldnot followwell beaten tracks. For example, in designing the first automobiles, the mistake made was to imitate the chassis of an animal-drawn cart, overlooking the elementary fact that while the wheels pushed the chassis of an automobile, the chassis pulled the wheelsof acart. Manyotherinterestingexamplesare given, with a final caution that the inventive mind should not be channelized and disciplined. His examples of inventions and inventors is a clear pointer. Thus the safety razor was invented by a salesman of clocks; the Kodachrome films by a musician; the ball-point pen by a sculptor; the automatic telephone by an undertaker; the pneumatic tyre by a veterinary surgeon and the L.P. record by a television engineer. Artistic activity is the most difficult of the three...

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