6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clear and concise with worked examples and diagrams, 16 Jan 2001
This review is from: Practical Astronomy with your Calculator (Paperback)
I have often had to refer to my copy of this book during the period of my PhD - it is different from other similar books in that it provides worked examples broken down line by line. I believe it to be useful for the physical sciences, but also a good way to learn algorithm construction.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hands-on practical astronomy!, 2 Jan 2010
This review is from: Practical Astronomy with your Calculator (Paperback)
I like this book, because it is very practical, well structured and easy to use.
Inside 'Practical Astronomy with your calculator' you can find all the most common practical
problems of astronomy and ready to use recipes of how to calculate and find the solutions to
these problems. The best thing of it all is that it can all be done with a rather simple, but
modern calculator that includes trigonometric functions. This means that no complex derivatives,
integration or programming is needed!
I tried for example to calculate my local sidereal time (or 'star time') here in Denmark at any
date and time of the year. Then I double checked the results with online 'astronomical watches'
and it all fit very well....
Try to calculate any of the astronomical relations yourself and you will know what I mean!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit outdated now - but useful, 5 Jun 2011
This review is from: Practical Astronomy with your Calculator (Paperback)
There is a later edition which uses calculator or spreadsheet. Things have moved on since 1989 and even calculators are more advanced now. I bought this with a view to explaining astronomical relationships to my nephew aged 15 at the time; at his request. It didn't work because he had insufficient maths and knowledge of algorithms. Maybe I expected too much.
It certainly isn't a simple guide although the examples are worked through in detail, line by line. Sometimes, functions are introduced on the basis "this is how it is" without too much detail of their origins. Perhaps that's necessary.
I tried to use it to calculate the sunrise and sunset times for any stated latitude; and it didn't help. I ended up forming the model for myself. But this book is interesting and has its uses. Now go for the recent edition and use spreadsheets.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No