An Introduction to Magnetohydrodynamics (Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics, Series Number 25) 1st Edition

I bought this book for self instruction. After all I finished my doctorate long before many of these concepts came to fruition. I read it for the things that I did not know but suspected. And I know there is a lot to go.Having read a great many books about Electrodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, etc., it takes a book about Magnetohydrodynamics to finally understand.This is the book that draws together the missing equations or vague comments from pedagogic physics. Literally this book ties the different fields (sic) together in an intelligible whole. Thus, it is not really an introductory text. Nor is it the final work. For example, it introduces solar phenomena but does not dwell on them in-depth. Similarly, it introduces engineering processes but does not dwell on them excessively. There is a lot that is not there. But, they must remain for more in-depth presentation.Now, having said that, there are errors. I know the math and I know what is wrong with some of the equations that are presented.An errata or revision would help. Without it you find yourself with nonsense statements that are clearly typo's.Still there are also wonderful explanations of concepts that are so often presented without understanding (e.g. What does the Laplacian really mean physically. e.g. What is that other term in Navier-Stokes?) Great book.

There aren't too many books available on this subject so I'm forced to evaluate this book on its own merits rather than in comparison to other books on this subject. The text is clearly written and doesn't take too much for granted. It does assume that the reader has knowledge of integral and differential calculus (which I believe that any book on this subject would require also).

This book is,at the same time, very clear,very detailed and understandable even for a non-specialist of MHD like me. Congratulations to the author, only a few scientists are able to obtain such a union among so different qualities.

Focusing on the physics of fluid flow, electromagnetics and their interactions, Davidson has written a very clear text which serves as an excellent introduction to this subject. He includes the mathematical formulations, but does not dwell on the exact solutions of the governing equations. Instead he spends most of the book using scaling analysis and approximate solutions to elucidate the physical mechanisms behind EM-driven flows. Davidson should also be commended for his concentration on MHD flows of engineering interest, particularly metallurgical applications (my field of research), although he does not neglect geological and stellar applications.The author should also be praised for his clear writing style, which is easy to read without dumbing down the subject. Davidson has provided a model for other scientists and engineers who aspire to write texts: it is possible to write a useful and illuminating textbook in a readable style.This book is highly recommended for anyone with knowledge of either fluid mechanics or EM as a way to learn the basics of the other field and their interactions.

A well written book linking to applications well. Not incredibly heavy on the math, but only suited to those fluent with the entire calculus series. I particularly enjoyed the examples from many fields. For awhile we dwell on the geodynamo then off to propulsion then off into metallurgy. I agree: Congratulations to the author on such a well organized volume!

If you want a really well written explanation of what is a physical meaning of the MHD equations, what are the fundamental ideas behind them with examples from solar spots to metallurgical applications, nicely and clearly illustrated, this is the book for you.Congratulations to the author!

I really liked this book. I have read many other plasma physics books, but mostly in the magnetically confined plasmas for fusion energy, but with few exceptions, they seemed to cover all the strictly necessary topics to go into fusion research. This book however, build MHD from the basic electrodynamic concepts and brings you close to, what I consider to be, the original ideas about moving conducting fluids.After reading this book, many doubts were answered, and a GREAT INTUITION about MHD problems was developed. That was definitely my favourite part.

I recommend the book for beginner to advance. Some basic and good explanation and -finally- science with humor! As if science had to be boring ,,,!

Magnetohydrodynamics is a very interesting area of physics, covering quite a wide field, but at the moment I am delving into another area of physics, so it has to wait