<p>I need to get Chemistry: Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, 4th edition. I found it on half.com for $109, BUT I found the third edition for for 79.99. How much of a difference do you think it is? Could I get away with having the 3rd edition, especially if it came out just last year and this edition came out this year?</p>
<p>Why are these dumb books so freaking expensive?!?!??!</p>
<p>Because the company makes a couple of minor editions in the books, sells it as a new edition with an insane price and calls the professor and tells them he should make sure to require a new edition. Since the professor doesn't know how much changes there are and doesn't really care since he's not paying for the t-book anyway, he'll agree and require the new one, netting the company a bunch of money.</p>
<p>The answer is ask your professor.</p>
<p>You're gonna need the new edition. Changing the problem sets is one of the most common edition changes and since you will definitely be assigned some in a chemistry class you'll need the edition listed on your booklist.</p>
<p>Trust me...$109 for that book is a good deal. </p>
<p>Good times with Molecular Nature freshman year...</p>
<p>lol, the first day of my college english class last year, we all showed up with the right edition of the book... except the professor. the head of the department forgot to tell her they changed editions.</p>
<p>Man, I think that with math and science and foreign language you should always get the brand new edition. </p>
<p>Anything else is fair game as far as I am concerned.</p>
<p>i did accounting with an old edition and just photo copied the problems that i needed from someones correct edition.. however for something like chem where you will need their problems and examples every chapter i would rec. the correct edition.</p>
<p>Check with the professor - I emailed a couple of mine for the fall and one said the new edition (which is $140) is the exact same as the old one ($30 used), except for one chapter that we aren't going to cover; another said the only difference between the two editions is that the page numbers are offset a bit</p>
<p>The biggest issue with new editions can be page numbers, exercise number, etc. While the content of the book may not change much, the professor could say read 100-122, and you could end up reading an entirely different assignment. Definitely spring for the new edition, or get both, scrutinize carefully, and then return the one you don't want.</p>
<p>Often new editions will update some of the reading material as well. so it's very possible assigned reading could end up different. They try to make them diifferent enough that it is difficult to use the old edition.</p>