Chemists have developed a number of methods by which they can determine the kind of elements present in a material and the amount of each element present. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), flame spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry are examples of...

Elemental analysis is a process where a sample of some material (e.g., soil, waste or drinking water, bodily fluids, minerals, chemical compounds) is analyzed for its elemental and sometimes isotopic composition. Elemental analysis can be qualitative...

Review of Atomic Spectroscopy in Elemental Analysis, Michael Cullen, ed., Blackwell Publishing (2004) This book, comprised of nine chapters, covers most of the popular atomic spectrometry methods used for the determination of the elemental composition of materials. Atomic spectroscopy techniques are presented in...

Fracture mechanics describes mechanical-energy transfer as it relates to crack-surface formation. Finite element analysis is a technique for solving continuum problems. Modern PCs make it simpler to solve fracture mechanics problems using finite element analysis. Engineers must remain aware, however, of both methods' limitations....

A helicopter with a camera like those used to film Hollywood movies will soon peer into the wreckage of a collapsed bridge. Laser-guided surveying equipment has already helped produce a detailed map of the debris. Software re-creating the disaster on a computer screen may even...

Bob Chandler rode his passion for four-wheel-drive trucks into a successful career.Spotting an opportunity, he opened a lucrative truck parts and accessories business -- and stepped on the gas in automotive design and technology.Chandler's desire to build the biggest and baddest four-wheel-drive truck led him...