I'm taking chemistry 1331 this fall and i have a question on the textbook.?

Question

the class requires a book called "Chemister: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change" by Silberberg. my brother has the fourth edition for this book but the book i need is the 5th edition. what is the difference between the two? can i go through the class without spending money on a new book?

Answer 1

You might be able to get by using the old book if you only need it for information. However, if your teacher assigns questions or problems to do from the book, you will have a problem. The questions will almost certainly be different. It's okay to come to most college classes without your text book on the first day, so do that and check in the syllabus to see if homework problems come out of the book. If they do, you will need the new one. But if your teacher is planning on handing out her own homework, you will probably be able to use the old one.

I had to buy a new accounting book because the assignments came from the book, however I could use an old geography book because my teacher had her own questions.

Answer 2

the newer editions sometimes have added information and generally fix errors that were found in the last book.  You might be able to get buy but it will depend alot on what changes were made in the book between the 4th and 5th editions.