The Indian market has many publishers of text books and research monographs in many fields of science and technology. There are also Indian editions of textbooks in S&T as well as do-it-yourself books (in programming and software engineering, for example).
However, there is a huge void when it comes to popularizing science (with the notable exception of Resonance, the popular science monthly from the Indian Academy of Sciences). There are few outlets for Indian writers, journalists, scientists with an interest in explaining scientific ideas and technological achievements, and contributing to contemporary debates of great significance to the society at large (e.g. climate change, atomic energy, genetically modified crops). The IIScPress seeks to fill this void through its IIScPress Popular Science series of books.”
IPSS Editorial Board:
Series Editor: Prof. S. P. Arun
Members:
IPSS 1: Title: Aerobasics: An Introdution to Aeronautics
Author: S P Govinda Raju Year of Publication: 2014 Number of pages: 245 (Paperback) Price: ` 300/-
Modern aircraft are designed for the utmost in performance and safety as the penalty for any shortfalls in these areas is very heavy. Thus they incorporate many complex systems and subsystems each developed using advanced scientific concepts and manufacturing methods. Aircraft design is thus undertaken by a group of design engineers each with a specialized knowledge about a few subsystems but only a rough understanding of the whole airplane. This rough overall understanding of the concepts and principles based on which the airplane is organized is a vital element of a design engineer’s toolbox. It helps him perform his own specialized task such that it fits in the complete design seamlessly. This overall knowledge is not easily acquired from modern technical literature which is voluminous and primarily caters to special interest groups. This author has made an attempt to gather this knowledge and present it concisely so that it will serve as a broad general introduction to aircraft engineering. This material should be useful not only to fresh engineers entering the aeronautical industry but also to students in all the relevant branches of engineering. It is also likely to be of general interest to any scientifically inclined reader as a source of basic information in a number of aeronautical disciplines. The general philosophy adopted here is best summarized by the following quote from the Panchatantra: Knowledge indeed is unlimited, but life is short and there are many obstacles to the acquisition of knowledge. Therefore one must grasp the essential knowledge leaving out much detail just as milk is extracted from a watery mixture by the swans.
IPSS 2: Title: Popular Problems and Puzzles in Mathematics
Co-published with Cambridge University Press
Author: Asok Kumar Mallik Year of Publication: 2014 Number of pages: 160 (Paperback) Price: 170/-
Innovative thinking backed by logical reasoning is the key to the puzzles in Popular Problems and Puzzles in Mathematics. Collected over several years by the author, more than 150 elegant, intriguing numerical challenges are presented here. The answers are easy to explain, but one would devilishly find it hard without this book. One’s ability to construct a mathematical proof will be rigorously tested in these problems – even in the case of a mathematics teacher. For true maths lovers, there is even a section on historically prominent problems. Designed for high-school students and teachers with an interest in mathematical problem solving, this stimulating collection provides a new twist to familiar topics that introduce unfamiliar topics.
