<p>Do newer textbook editions overshadow the older editions in terms of content? I doubt it, but I want to know how much information is usually added in new textbooks? I'm specifically concerned about textbooks that were published about 10 years ago. I don't think much advances are made in science that are relevant for undergraduate students.</p>
<p>Depends on the science. A genetics text from ten years ago would be pretty badly out of date.</p>
<p>I'm just talking about the more basic topics, however you define it. These include general chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, etc. A lot of the more "modern" topics such as genetics would be excluded from what I'm referring to.</p>
<p>Not necessarily. I bought an older health textbook for a dollar off e-bay, when other kids were playing 60 dollars at the store and it worked out fine for me. Textbooks are not the most necessary things in general for many classes, because the professors put much more emphasis on their own lectures/power points and such.</p>
<p>Remember, though, that sometimes professors assign problems from the textbook, and those might well change.</p>
<p>My brother took 1 english class first semester and a different english class 2nd, and one required "Generic English Ed. 3" and the other required "Generic English Ed. 3.5".</p>
<p>i'm being serious.
he wasn't a happy camper (and he'd already re-sold the first book, anyway)</p>
<p>The main difference between editions would be the order of chapters, practice problems, coloring, & maybe a few errors fixed. It's not a MAJOR difference, but it will be quite annoying if the professor you have follows the book and assigns homework problems from the end of the chapter.</p>
<p>I would email the professor (or ask them in person) whether it will matter, as every subject and class will be different. For example, in a course like General Psychology or Fundamentals of Biology, it probably will not hurt to have one (or maybe 2) editions out of date (10 yrs, though, seems a bit much!); however, for my Social Psychology class, for example, my professor dislikes that some of us are using the text that was published <em>last year</em> because she wants us using the most recent text--which was published just a few months ago--and the new text has updated information on the field that is relevant to our upper division course--so it will all depend!</p>
<p>no. just ask the teacher to help coordinate the class for you with the older edition. it is the teachers job to do stuff like this.</p>
<p>Proton, not sure I am following you...are you saying to have them coordinate the class with the older edition to suit your tastes?!</p>
<p>Professors are not like teachers in HS. Their jobs are not to simply teach--and most are not regular "educators," but researchers who also instruct students. I would never ask a professor to do my work for me. If you get an older textbook, that's your deal. It is our responsibility as students to be sure we are getting the materials we need--<em>especially</em> if you are at a larger school with larger classes, but even where I go (with our 5-40 student classes), a professor cannot be expected to monitor each student and be sure to bend to that student's needs constantly.</p>
<p>apumic... </p>
<p>what i meant was that sometimes teachers assign homework problems out of the book. and if you have an older edition the teacher should tell you or give you the hw problems.</p>
<p>i am not saying that the teacher should change the class syllabus just for one person. that is ludicrious.</p>
<p>ah ok.
Yes, I would agree, to a point. I think it's something that a prof should definitely handle if a large number of the students have older editions (i.e., b/c of miscommunication or the wrong book being in the story). Otherwise, while it is nice for a professor to go the extra mile and find the problems in other editions, this is not always practical, so I would not expect it. (Talking with classmates who have the newest/right edition is a good way of working things out)</p>
<p>usually a previous edition has almost all of the same homework sets as the newer edition. at least from my experiences.</p>
<p>someone in one of my classes asked how important it was to have the newest version, and the professor said that in order to print a new edition, it has to have 20% new material.</p>
<p>... If that's correct, I don't know what "new material" means, but I bet changing the color scheme counts.</p>
<p>This was an intro psyc class.</p>