Textbook Editions

[cometstarg]

I'm going to be a college freshman this fall and had textbooks taken care of as I'm getting them from current students at my school. For chemistry I need Chemistry by Julia Burdge, the 2nd edition. Would it make a big difference if I got the 1st edition? The 2nd just came out early this year and getting the 1st would save me a ridiculous amount of money. Since I heard we don't even use textbooks in class, just listen and take notes, do you think doing so would put me at a disadvantage?

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[Shinobiz11]

It really depends on what they changed from each edition. Some textbooks change a lot, some add a couple of problems. You can probably rely on the 1st edition though. Email your professor and check with them first. I think you will be fine,especially since it is a chemistry book and not much would be changed/added.

I had the 7th edition of my psychology textbook needed for my current class. It was pretty far from the required 9th edition so I bought the 9th edition. I ended up returning the book later, for reasons not needed to be explained, but it really depends on the book.

 

[Emerica]

Also if your teacher assigns homework from the book, the problems and numbers may be off from edition-to-edition. I've seen this in Chemistry: The Central Science

 

[Shinobiz11]

Also if your teacher assigns homework from the book, the problems and numbers may be off from edition-to-edition. I've seen this in Chemistry: The Central Science

Yes, I forgot to mention this as well. +1

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If the teacher is "from the book" (including questions), then you are stuck. If they use the book for supplemental material and rely more on the lecture, you should be fine.

 

[NickNaylor]

Agreed with the above, just wait until the first week of class to get a feel of how much the professor is going to rely on the book. Many professors don't even use the book and some only use it for assigned reading (which, for the most part, isn't impacted by the particular edition you use).