Description
Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters, 8th Edition
Plumbing math has a particular shape: fractions of an inch, offsets and travel, pipe capacity, slope and fall, material take-offs. Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters covers that and very little else. Lee Smith wrote it for readers who do not arrive confident with numbers, and it has been an apprenticeship standard through eight editions.
A general math textbook handles none of this in the form a tradesperson needs. Here the arithmetic comes first and is then tied straight to a pipe problem, so a fraction is a fraction of an inch and a triangle is a run that has to get around an obstruction.
It starts at arithmetic instead of assuming it
Whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios open the book, taught for people who need them to work rather than to pass a test. Measurement follows in both English and metric units, with conversion between the two handled the way it comes up on site.
The calculations the trade runs on
- Geometry for the trade: angles, triangles and circles, and the relationships that govern pipe routing.
- Offsets and travel, which is the skill of laying out a run that has to get around something.
- Volume, capacity and flow, for sizing a system and working out what it will hold.
- Practical applications taken from real installation and fabrication work.
Who it is for
Plumbing and pipefitting apprentices in union and trade-school programs. HVAC and mechanical trades students who need the same calculations. Working tradespeople brushing up before a licensing or journeyman examination. Instructors who want a text that builds from arithmetic rather than one that assumes it.
Book details
- Title: Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters
- Author: Lee Smith
- Edition: 8th
- Publisher: Cengage Learning (Delmar)
- ISBN-13: 9781285397801
- Format: Paperback
Questions buyers ask
Do I need a math background before starting this?
No. The book opens with whole numbers and fractions and builds up from there. That is the reason it works as a first-year apprenticeship text.
Does it cover metric as well as English measurement?
Yes. Both systems are covered, along with converting between them on the job.
Is it any use for HVAC, or is it plumbing only?
HVAC and mechanical trades students are named as readers. The measurement, geometry and offset work is the same calculation either way.
Will it help before a journeyman or licensing exam?
That is one of the uses the book lists. Tradespeople already working use it to go back over the calculations before sitting one.
Which edition is this, and what format does it ship in?
The eighth edition, published by Cengage Learning under the Delmar imprint, in paperback. The ISBN-13 is 9781285397801.
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