Gaming World Forums
General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: nellmartin652 on May 29, 2010, 10:09:35 pm
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Be conscious while buying cheap textbooks. It's better to buy newer version than lower version.
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You make an interesting point, but what if the class that you are taking requires an older version of the text? What if the new class requires a new edition of the text book that has just come out, and is really expensive in comparison to the last book that came out? Is it worth the extra 100 or so dollars (generalizing here) that goes towards getting the newer edition of the book, rather than getting the version down (the differences between the 6th edition and 7th edition, more so than like the difference between edition 3 and 7 or something. Be reasonable about it)? How do you determine these things?
Discuss.
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Nah because most new versions are the same thing as the older version just the page numbers are a little different. I mean you can get by being maybe one or two editions behind.
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depends on the class. A lot of courses that deal with "modern issues" need an up to date book. Could you imagine taking a US black studies history class with a book that contains nothing about the election of Obama? A year or less from now after the whole oil spill in the gulf is going to have its own section in lots of environmental science/studies books just like the Exxon Valdez spill does.
The hard sciences and more abstract material is usually fine though. A single variable calculus book today is going to teach you the same stuff that the edition from 10 years ago did.
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Some of the older versions have different review questions / problems in the back of them. A lot of people in a class I took last quarter bought older versions of the textbook, but when the professor assigned questions out of the book, they had different questions than the edition the professor specified to buy.
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Of course your textbook has to be compatible with what the rest of the class is using, but like dietcoke says some course material ages well. I'm currently working my way through a 30 year old book on calculus with computer applications (slowly, I might add).
Funny how Texas revisionists (http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/21/texas-history-gingrich/) might come into this. Might want to google that history book before buying it to make sure it's a proper one.
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Yes, but are they CHEAP textbooks?
Also, why is it that spambots always turn into serious conversations. This intrigues me.
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because nobody else is making topics
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Some of the older versions have different review questions / problems in the back of them. A lot of people in a class I took last quarter bought older versions of the textbook, but when the professor assigned questions out of the book, they had different questions than the edition the professor specified to buy.
It pisses me off to no end how publishers change the order of exercises and paragraphs or just change the page numbering without any real reason, just to cause this and thus force students to buy the new edition. I haven't had too much trouble with this, it just pisses me off that there are people doing this and they can do this and how can these people live with themselves?!!!!
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It pisses me off to no end how publishers change the order of exercises and paragraphs or just change the page numbering without any real reason, just to cause this and thus force students to buy the new edition. I haven't had too much trouble with this, it just pisses me off that there are people doing this and they can do this and how can these people live with themselves?!!!!
the horrors of the college textbook publishing oligarchy must not go unpunished!!
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oh crap.. all this time i've been buying textbooks unconsciously.. thanks for the tip
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As an educator, I must agree that it really depends upon the class you're taking. For example, if you're studying something like Law, which is in a constant state of renewal and advancement, you kind of need the new textbook as the old one will be out of date almost immediately after you buy it. However, I have a book of contemporary criticisms of 'The Romantics' which is over a century old. This book still serves me well as literary criticisms are still valid, regardless of when they were made.
I imagine that it's important to buy up to date science textbooks to, lest you look like a fool when quoting studies that show women have smaller brains and how the "Red Man" is predisposed to fighting and firewater.
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I imagine that it's important to buy up to date science textbooks to, lest you look like a fool when quoting studies that show women have smaller brains and how the "Red Man" is predisposed to fighting and firewater.
This isn't really true, most science textbooks just switch a few chapters around and change the numbers to the problems and that's about it.
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it annoys the shit out of me that i can't sell my chem book for an acceptable price anymore because a newer edition came out. i don't think chemistry has changed a lot in the last 3-4 years
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This isn't really true, most science textbooks just switch a few chapters around and change the numbers to the problems and that's about it.
I have very little knowledge when it comes to science, so I was assuming. My point was that it may be unfeasible to use a VERY old textbook for this subject, due to the advancements. I also assumed that NEW SCIENCE happens each year, but I'm obviously wrong. HAVE WE STAGNATED!?!