Hey folks, looking for books for the first semester of Mechanical engineering or interesting books of engineering, you are at the right place. Let me give a small intro so that we know each other well, or at least you know me well :). I’m currently a fresher at IIT Jodhpur studying Mechanical Engineering, a batch of 2024! The best part of being at an IIT is you can go interdisciplinary in nature and learn various courses of your interest, giving you more exposure than ever. A small brief introduction before we begin:

Introduction:

Mechanical Engineering is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering branches. Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousand years around the world. It’s often called the “evergreen” branch too! It never dies as innovation is an inherent part of it. The engineers in this domain currently work on research areas like composites, mechatronics, and nanotechnology. It also overlaps with aerospace engineering, metallurgical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and other engineering disciplines to varying amounts. Mechanical engineers may also work in the field of biomedical engineering, specifically with biomechanics, transport phenomena, biomechatronics, bionanotechnology, and modeling of biological systems.

 

 Interesting Engineering hacks:

 If you are here with a curious mind on what an engineering student does or a mechanical engineer does, hola, a lot of assignments await you!*_*! Surely you will need help, what better than books online. Sometimes you need 3-4 books for a single course, therefore you can buy used books online! Best move I would say! Learning on screens for hours can give you a headache but a real-time book always gives you the satisfaction of reading. Also highlighting important things for a quick revision in the future comes in hand.  So a fresher in mechanical engineering you would be basically studying extended topics of maths and physics from class 11 and class 12. This river of knowledge further joins the vast ocean soon! With topics like linear algebra and multivariable calculus, your head is goanna take a spin! Therefore I recommend this mind-blowing channel “3blue1brown”, it will make you fall in with the essence of mathematics! It's open to everyone with a curious mind! Worried about books or second-hand books, hit usedbooksfactory.com in your search bar. Search the book name, didn’t find it, no worries they have got you covered. You can request your book in the “request section” and get it as soon as possible with the best price available online.

 

Books that engineering students must read:

1. To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design:

Written by Henry Petroski, this book emphasizes the importance of the study of design failures. It explores well-known engineering failures such as the Hyatt Skywalk, The Mianus River Bridge collapse, and the problematic DC-10 engine servicing.

      

 

2. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:

Written by Robert Pirsig, this book is probably one of the most influential engineering books of the 20th century. It was first published over forty years ago and it's still relevant today for any mechanical engineer. Pirsig explores the question: "What is quality?" It is said that the quest ultimately drove the author insane. Anthony J Marchese from Colorado State University describes this book as representing a journey upon which all mechanical engineers should embark.

                                                                             

 

3. The Design of Everyday Things:

This is a classic engineering book and has been through several editions. Written by Donald Norman, this book isn't just about the design process but also about people and the way they use things. The Design of Everyday Things can change the way we think about the products we use, and about the part, we play in creating new products

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4. Engineering - A Very Short Introduction:

Written by David Blockley, this engineering book is aimed at those who want to learn more about engineering but have limited time. It explores the history and the nature of engineering. BASIC.

                                                                        

5. Basic Machines And How They Work:

This book is perfect for anyone interested in mechanical engineering. It covers a range of primary theories beginning with basic machines. MAKİNA MÜHENDİSLİĞİ. Basically, this one has my heart!

                                                                       

6. Engineering and the Mind’s Eye:

Written by Eugene S. Ferguson, this engineering book is actually an extension of Ferguson's essay on engineering in relation to intuition and nonverbal thinking.

                                                                  

7. Basics of Mechanical Engineering:

Here is another great book for anyone who wishes to know more about mechanical engineering. It intends to teach basic concepts and principles.

 

Let’s get into some academic areas and get to know the books I have been using as a student at IITJ. Hope this helps!

Books for Semester-1 of Mechanical Engineering:

 

•Engineering mechanics- Irving H. Shames

•Engineering Drawing- N D Bhatt.

•Higher Engineering Mathematics- Thomas’s Calculus (MIT).

•Introduction to Computer Science – John V Guttag

•Communication skills

Personally, I enjoy learning multivariable calculus and the book by Thomas is a great way to begin with. Written by an MIT professor makes it even more exciting and I look up the chapter every time before the topic starts. Sometimes it can be exhaustive but it’s worth the read. The three-dimensional space, calculating partial differentials, gradient, continuity, and differentiability in 3D is simply exciting for a first-time reader. Also to visualize your problems and understand the concept better be sure to check this 3D-graphing calculator “GeoGebra 3D Calculator” on play store.

Engineering mechanics is another core subject of Mechanical Engineering that you can’t miss out on, start learning the gears, trusses, and mechanisms without much stress from I.H.Shames's book. In today’s world, there is nothing that is not coded so start learning python from the JV Guttag book which makes the python course a cakewalk for a beginner. Modeling stuff and simulating stuff becomes a real-time problem, N.D.Bhatt is the best guide for you on this journey. Nevertheless, everything goes in vain if you can’t communicate your ideas without any hindrance and thus the course of “Communication Skills”. These were books I used and my journey as a fresher at IITJ.

Conclusion:

Choose “Zindagi” over-engineering(lol) but your “Zindagi” is all about engineering. From making clay models and building sandcastles to coding and building the future, engineering is omnipresent. To make lives easy and to provide values to society in any form is engineering! To have ideas/thoughts being converted to real-life applications is engineering! Engineering is found in every aspect of our life.  From those small “juggads” to real-time rocket building, engineering in its aspect never fails us to excite.

    

 

                                             To engineer is human!

                                       PS: Cheers to Hebrew readers! :))