Book excerpt: A classroom-tested textbook providing a fundamental understandingof basic kinetic processes in materials This textbook, reflecting the hands-on teaching experience of itsthree authors, evolved from Massachusetts Institute of Technology'sfirst-year graduate curriculum in the Department of MaterialsScience and Engineering. It discusses key topics collectivelyrepresenting the basic kinetic processes that cause changes in thesize, shape, composition, and atomistic structure of materials.Readers gain a deeper understanding of these kinetic processes andof the properties and applications of materials. Topics are introduced in a logical order, enabling students todevelop a solid foundation before advancing to more sophisticatedtopics. Kinetics of Materials begins with diffusion, offering adescription of the elementary manner in which atoms and moleculesmove around in solids and liquids. Next, the more complex motion ofdislocations and interfaces is addressed. Finally, still morecomplex kinetic phenomena, such as morphological evolution andphase transformations, are treated. Throughout the textbook, readers are instilled with an appreciationof the subject's analytic foundations and, in many cases, theapproximations commonly used in the field. The authors offer manyextensive derivations of important results to help illuminate theirorigins. While the principal focus is on kinetic phenomena incrystalline materials, select phenomena in noncrystalline materialsare also discussed. In many cases, the principles involved apply toall materials. Exercises with accompanying solutions are provided throughoutKinetics of Materials, enabling readers to put their newfoundknowledge into practice. In addition, bibliographies are offeredwith each chapter, helping readers to investigate specializedtopics in greater detail. Several appendices presenting importantbackground material are also included. With its unique range of topics, progressive structure, andextensive exercises, this classroom-tested textbook provides anenriching learning experience for first-year graduate students.