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i can save a 40 bucks by going for a 2nd edition instead of a 3rd.

T

TanisHalfElven

Diamond Member
i need to get this bookfor class.


i'd really like to save the 40 bucks and go for the 2nd edition used book but i'm not sure how smart or stupid that is, since this is my 1st semester in college

any help id appreciated
 
much doesn't change between editions. Maybe a new cover or rearranging some chapters around. Its pretty much a moneymaker for the publisher. Go ahead and buy an old edition, its never caused problems for me...
 
Usually it's a non-problem, but some publishers change a lot of the home-work problems around. If you get a prof. that assigns homework problems from the book, and collects them, it may be a proble. See if you can get the class sylabus and see what the homework policy is.
 
It really depends.

I had a Calc book that was SUPPOSED to last me 4 different classes. (Calc 1-4)

After Calc 2, they went up an edition, and I paid no attention to it. Come Calc 3, EVERYTHING was switched around. Not just a few details - chapters, lessons, problems, etc.
 
Originally posted by: state 08
It really depends.

I had a Calc book that was SUPPOSED to last me 4 different classes. (Calc 1-4)

After Calc 2, they went up an edition, and I paid no attention to it. Come Calc 3, EVERYTHING was switched around. Not just a few details - chapters, lessons, problems, etc.
Click to expand...

Where'd you go that their was a Calc 4? Also, what was covered in each of the calc classes?
 
i always bought older editions when i was in college. if there was anything specific needed in the current edition, i'd just check it out on reserve at the library. for the most part, the material will be the same.
 
E-mail the professor.

Some professors will tell you the first day that older editions are fine, while others will say that the material has changed and it would be beneficial to get the new edition.
 
I guess that way Calc 4 would be differential equations.

At my school it is 2 semesters of basic calc, then 1 of multivariable, then 1 four hour class of differential equations and linear algebra.
 
I had a newer version while the class used an older one. Everything was pretty much the same, but the pages were different. It was a pain in the ass, but I managed.
 
I think it's a bigger pain with math books since there are so many things that CAN be changed and re-arranged. But for other subjects, as long as you have access to a recent edition, through library or classmates, then you should be okay.
 
They pull all sorts of tricks between editions such as changing problem #s, changing metric systems (from kg to lb), changing problem values (3 mols to 4 mols, etc), and using pictures from older editions in completely different problems in newer editions. I'd just compare your old edition with the new one.
 
Originally posted by: JS80
textbook industry is a racket
Click to expand...

qft. but like others have said, ask around (including your professor) to see if you need the new one.

something to keep in mind: you'll probably be able to sell back the new edition, but not the old edition.
 
Best way to save money is to purchase the current INTERNATIONAL EDITION of the book. These are priced for non-US market but can be readily found on eBay. Cover usually indicates In'tl Edition rather prominently... otherwise 100% identical, page for page, word for word for the US version. :thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: FleshLight
They pull all sorts of tricks between editions such as changing problem #s, changing metric systems (from kg to lb), changing problem values (3 mols to 4 mols, etc), and using pictures from older editions in completely different problems in newer editions. I'd just compare your old edition with the new one.
Click to expand...

Why would anyone change from the metric system to English?

/shudder

EDIT
OP: It basically depends on whether the prof assigns homework from the text or not.
 
Originally posted by: JS80
textbook industry is a racket
Click to expand...

and one cutting down trees for no good reason😉

global warming FTL!

most of the time an edition is changed in very minor ways just to make sure they don't lose sales to the used book market. or the professor who writes the book does it so he can continue to get his money.
 
I would, but I went to a small college and was in a small major where I had classes with the same people every semester - so I knew everyone, and I had friends who I could borrow the current edition from if I needed it for homework problems.

I also didn't use my textbooks often - some I never even opened.
 
That depends on how closely the class follows the book. For the most part there are no big changes between editions. However, I once got burn by using a old edition because the problems at the end of the chapter were different.
 
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