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Applied Fuzzy Systems is an exposition of fuzzy set theory, fuzzy computational logic, and a series of detailed case studies of actual heavyweight industrial applications of fuzzy logic. Over 20 authors have contributed to this scholarly and informative work, some of the senior contributors aged in their 70s.
Applied Fuzzy Systems is not Fuzzy Logic for Dummies. It is not a feel-good book. It's a know-well book. It's a bunch of people who are proud of their field, informing you as accurately and concisely as humanly possible about what you must learn to understand the domain of endeavor. As such, it's refreshing to read in the same way Sterling's and Shapiro's The Art of Prolog (1986, MIT, ISBN 0-262-19250-0) was, and may be destined for cult status in similar fashion.
The book is divided into six chapters: "Introduction to Fuzzy Systems," "Fuzzy Set Theory for Applications," "Applications in Industry," "Expert Systems", "Application in Business," "Fuzzy Computers and Software." The material is meticulously organized. The mathematics are presented in an orderly and straightforward fashion, progressing from the relationship between set theory and Boolean logic to the arcane of fuzzy set theory. The exposition is lucid and accurate, carefully reviewed and proofread. The last chapter may be somewhat dated in terms of descriptions of hardware devices for fuzzy computing, but certainly will help get the newcomer up to speed on that particular niche.
Like many programmers, I'm a mathematician gone off the rails, well grounded in theory, but impatient with formal logic and classical notation. Just give me the algorithms! Yet I found the hefty body of math in this book easily assimilable and tailored to the needs of the seasoned practical programmer.
Applied Fuzzy Logic is a marvelous and fascinating work on many levels, not in the least the cultural dimension. The authors commence with an attempt to explain the origin and significance of the word "fuzzy," arguably the only pedagogic failure of the treatise. Occasional phrases ring hollow, as if the translator has struggled with the idiom and lost. The difficulty may be that occasionally the authors are conveying an explanation that a Western engineer wouldn't need, in connotative terms that a Westerner won't understand. Overall, however, the translation ranges from entirely serviceable to superb.
The Japanese excel in practical application of fuzzy logic. The West is to some extent prisoner of our own success in classical control theory. Fuzzy logic has been slow of acceptance in large industrial settings in the United States. I have heard advanced degree engineers argue that this or that task cannot be performed reliably using fuzzy logic, despite the fact that the same tasks are being performed daily in Japan. Slap this book down on the table with a "bang!" next time you hear the office expert shoveling it.
Applied Fuzzy Systems is an excellent tool for serious computer scientists and engineers possessing some familiarity with the fuzzy logic to build a mathematically and conceptually firm foundation in this discipline and avoid rooting around through piles of lightweight introductory volumes. I highly recommend this book.
-- Jack Woehr
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Explanation of ERCB rating scale: No stars = unacceptable, 1 Star = marginal, 2 Stars = average, 3 Stars = above average, 4 Stars = exceptional.