Foreword

This e-book was developed as part of the Key Topics in Materials Science and Engineering series. The series was originally inspired by Yip-Wah Chung and Zayna Connor, both members of ASM’s Technical Books Committee. The objective of this series is to teach by problem-solving.

Important topics in the general area of materials science and engineering, from basic to advanced, are covered in Key Topics. Each e-book covers one topic and includes introductory chapters, discussion of fundamentals, and problems with detailed solutions. The philosophy for this format is that the best way to learn about a topic is to solve problems related to the topic. These e-books guide readers through execution of the most common functions or utilities of an application or technique.