Preface

A fact well know to students and acknowledged by educators is that college and university textbooks are expensive and not having access to one may affect students’ success.  Typically, these books establish the knowledge foundation of lucrative careers and are also part of the technical library of many working professionals.

In BCIT we have delivered this course following the “Applied Strength of Materials” textbook written by Robert L. Mott.  In my years of teaching the subject, alongside with the students, we have used the 4^th and 5^th edition of the textbook.  I often noticed that students could not afford the bookstore textbook or they had “international” paperback editions.  When the cost of such a textbook was about 15% of the original one, I found it hard to reason with them.  For a few years the textbook was discontinued by the publisher and our institute managed to secure internal publishing rights on a cost-recovery basis.  Things changed again when the textbook was upgraded to the 6^th Edition, undoubtedly improved but also more expensive.  And this brings us to the current textbook…

I was pleasantly surprised to find a first-rate Strength of Materials textbook that covers all the topics that our students need (and then some)… and free.  The textbook that we follow in this course is written by Dr. Barry Dupen, Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department of Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne.