Which edition of Stewart's Calculus is best for reference?

[ehrenfest]

I finished the calculus sequence several years ago and I just want a reference. Apparently there are two editions that are widely in use now: 5 and 6. This is probably a stupid question, but which one should I get? I would assume that 6 is better because 6>5, but I don't know...I thought I would ask anyway.

 

[Cyrus]

Buy this one

 

[ehrenfest]

Buy this one

Are you joking?

 

[Cyrus]

Why am I joking? I have that book: its very good.

 

[ehrenfest]

Well I want to buy one of the two editions that I listed.

 

[lisab]

What text did you use when you took the class?

When I want to review a subject I took in the past, I use the same text that I had when I took the class.

 

[gravenewworld]

calculus doesn't change. buy 5 because it will be cheaper than 6.

 

[rocomath]

4th or 5th edition is fine. don't waste your money on the 6th unless you're in a class that requires you to turn in hw.

 

[Poop-Loops]

Basically. The updates from one edition to the other are usually minor. Maybe some typos fixed, new figures, different homework problems, but I have edition 5e and it has a ton of problems, so you shouldn't run out or anything.

Mines "early transcendentals", though, not the one Cyrus posted. No idea if those are different or not.

 

[ehrenfest]

buy 5 because it will be cheaper than 6.

That is actually not true. Anyone want to make a guess why the 6th edition is cheaper?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/053439339X/?tag=pfamazon01-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0495011606/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Anyway, the only thing I care about is the quality of the book not the price or what I used when I took the class. In that case does it make sense to get edition 6?

 

[Poop-Loops]

Maybe he condensed some things down to cut down on paper? Maybe people are just tired of Stewart's BS and aren't going to take it from him anymore?

 

[Astronuc]

Perhaps it would help to compare Tables of Contents

http://academic.cengage.com/cengage/student.do?codeid=2B76&sortby=copy&type=all_radio&courseid=MA03&product_isbn=9780534393397&disciplinenumber=1&codeFlag=true

http://academic.cengage.com/cengage/student.do?codeid=2B76&sortby=copy&type=all_radio&courseid=MA03&product_isbn=9780495011606&disciplinenumber=1&codeFlag=true

A quick scan doesn't reveal any substantial difference. The 6th edition seems to have added sections: Review. Problems Plus. to each chapter.

 

[Moonbear]

In general, if you want to buy a textbook to keep as a reference for occasional review, I think whatever one you can get in the best condition for the lowest price (this could be the newer edition if it's the one being used in a lot of classes...more people selling them back in barely used condition at the end of the course , or more bookstores with overstock to get rid of).

Unless there has been massive rearrangement of the material, in which case it might be more of a personal preference which suits your learning needs best, it's rare for there to be substantial differences between editions (there are always corrections of errors, and some reorganization of content for better clarity based on student/educator feedback, but for the purpose of review, this is not usually important...if you were learning the material from scratch, I'd always recommend the most current book to have the least errors unless someone using it specifically points out that it is worse for some reason).

 

[Howers]

Get Salas & Etgen. Its Stewart with proofs.

 

[ehrenfest]

Too late.