Zhang (mechanical and aerospace engineering, Nanyang Technological U., China), Li (mechanical engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong U., China) and Kumar (mechanical engineering, U. of South Florida) have written this textbook for materials science and mechanical engineering students who need to learn how to analyze material properties for processing and industrial use. The authors explore the technologies used for such analysis such as electron, X-ray and UV spectroscopy to understand how each type of material will respond in terms of structure, processing and performance. Vacuum and X-ray diffraction principles are also described, as are characterization techniques for quality assurance, contamination control and process improvement. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)