The excellent response to the first edition of this book and also the suggestions and constructive comments received from the faculty and students has prompted me to bring out this second edition. This edition is a thoroughly revised one. Additional problems and information have been added at appropriate places in various chapters. Further, a new chapter on Rocket Propulsion has been added. All the problems have been reviewed and the answers are provided. I hope this edition will also receive the same overwhelming response from the academic community as well as the practising engineers. I thank my M.Tech. and M.S. students and Ms. Vijayashree for their enthusiastic support.

V GANESAN