Riccati differential equations : William T.^Reid. 216 pages,diagrams, 6x9 in. New York,Academic Press Inc. (Mathematics in Science and Industry Series), Vol. 86, 1972. Price, $14.00.

The paper describes methods of carrying out the minimum weight design of finned surfaces of various types. For each type of surface (flat, cylindrical, etc.) two cases are considered. First, a method is described by which it is possible to obtain the optimum surface profile of fins required to dissipate a certain amount of heat from the given surface, there being no restriction on the fin height. This analysis is then extended for the case when the fin height is given. The solutions are presented for a number of cases and the results are discussed to illustrate the importance of various parameters in the design.