TOP BOOKS TO READ IF YOU WANT TO STUDY
ENGINEERING AT UNIVERSITY www.immerse.education
1
Wider reading is a vital component of any univeristy application but even more important when you consider the breadth of topics available to an engineer.
With so much literature to choose from, which reading should a prospective student prioritise? Immerse Education is here to help. We spoke with our mentor team who are currently studying Engineering at top universities to ask them which books they think a young student should read before applying.
Table of Content The list below is some of the titles they recommended in no particular order.
How Not to Be Wrong �������������������������������������������� 4 by Jordan Ellenberg
Why Chemical Reactions Happen �������������������������� 5 by Peter Wothers
Engineering: A Beginner’s Guide ����������������������������� 6 by Natasha McCarthy
The Gecko’s Foot ����������������������������������������������������� 7 by Peter Forbes
How Not to Be Wrong by JORDAN ELLENBERG
An excellent book about the application of maths to the real world and surprising results of statistics.
T
he maths we learn in school can seem like an abstract set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. What Jordan Ellenberg seeks to shows us is that maths touches on everything we do, and a little mathematical knowledge reveals the hidden structures that lie beneath the world’s messy and chaotic surface. In ‘How Not to be Wrong’, Ellenberg explores the mathematician’s method of analyzing life, from the everyday to the cosmic, showing us which numbers to defend, which ones to ignore, and when to change the equation entirely. Along the way, he explains calculus in a single page, describes Gödel’s theorem using only one-syllable words, and reveals how early you actually need to get to the airport. An excellent book about the application of maths to the real world and surprising results of statistics, very applicable in chemical engineering contexts where operations and processes are modelled mathematically with numerical correlations.
4
www.immerse.education
Why Chemical Reactions Happen by PETER WOTHERS
A rigorous introduction to university level thermodynamics.
W
hy Chemical Reactions Happen’ might sound irrelevant to a potential engineering student but it actually serves as a rigorous introduction to university level thermodynamics. A book which explores topics that are relevant to every year of an university engineering course as fundamental chemical engineering is taught in the three undergraduate years and underpins other courses such as fluid mechanics and separation processes. By tackling the most central ideas in chemistry, Why Chemical Reactions Happen takes a unified approach to the subject, aiming to help the reader develop a real overview of chemical processes, by avoiding the traditional divisions of physical, inorganic and organic chemistry. To understand how chemical reactions happen we need to know about the bonding in molecules, how molecules interact, what determines whether an interaction is favorable or not, and what the outcome will be. Answering these questions requires an understanding of topics from quantum mechanics, through thermodynamics, to “curly arrows”. In this book all of these topics are presented in a coherent and coordinated fashion, showing how each leads to a deeper understanding of chemical reactions.
www.immerse.education
5
Engineering: A Beginner’s Guide by NATASHA MCCARTHY
The book explores the many sectors of engineering as well as the delving into the social impact engineers have.
T
his book is great for budding engineers as it lays out a good foundation about what engineering, as both a discipline and career, is. The book explores the many sectors of engineering as well as the delving into the social impact engineers have when they enter an industrial career. Those people wishing to study engineering need have good technical knowledge but also a good idea of what it means to be an engineer and this book does exactly that. Focusing on the impact of engineering on society and the world, McCarthy details the development of the discipline, explains what makes an engineering mind, and shows how every aspect of our lives has been engineered: from gadgets to our national infrastructure. Long considered tinkerers, problem solvers, and visionaries, engineers hold the keys to our real and virtual future.
6
www.immerse.education
The Gecko’s Foot by PETER FORBES
A cutting-edge science book in the style of ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’ and ‘Chaos’.
T
he Gecko’s Foot’ is a cutting-edge science book in the style of ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’ and ‘Chaos’ written by Peter Forbes who is an exciting and accessible new voice in popular science writing.
This book is great for prospective engineering students as it challenges the misconception many engineers have about the role of nature and biology in engineering by exploring the idea of biomimicry and its applications in the world of technology. This book will give prospective students in depth knowledge on a very niche branch of engineering showing admissions advisers that you hold a genuine interest for engineering.
www.immerse.education
7
www.immerse.education enquiries@immerse.education 8
www.immerse.education