Physics help - what should I purchase?

[snowbeltmom]

I am looking ahead to next year. My son will be studying calc based physics, and he will be on his own with this course, so I need him to have access to the complete solutions to the problem sets.

 

I received a quote from Pearson's, but I am not sure what components I should purchase:

 

ISBN 0321675460, University Physics Student Edition, $138.47 each.

ISBN 0321696611, University Physics Instructor Resource DVD with TestGen, $100.97 each.

*The Instructor Resource DVD includes all of the teaching resources.

 

Is it worth it to purchase both the teacher and student text? Could I find the same components cheaper at another site?

 

I can get an earlier edition of the textbook on Amazon, along with a student solution guide, but I don't know if the student solution guide would provide detailed solutions or simply the answers.

 

Any suggestions on the value of purchasing from the publisher vs. buying an earlier edition off of Amazon? The most important feature is having access to full solutions to the problems.

 

Thanks.

[AngieW in Texas]

I am looking at this same textbook. I was hoping to get an older edition, but the teacher materials for older editions are out of print and unavailable everywhere I've looked.

 

The instructor resource dvd should have all the solutions for the problems in the text (these should be fully worked out solutions). It should also have powerpoints for each chapter. You might not think you will use these, but they are useful as a kind of intro to the chapter. They are also quite useful as a foundation for giving a lecture if you are going to be teaching more than one student. I print out the powerpoint slides 3/page for Giancoli's and that is just perfect for me to make notes along the side for my lecture. I am actually teaching this as a class though.

[snowbeltmom]

Thanks for the info, Angie. I asked Pearson's if the instructor resource included the solutions to the problems in the textbook, and I received the following response:

 

"The Teacher Resource DVD will include an Image Library, Chapter Summaries, Problem-Solving Strategies, Key Equations, PowerPoint® slides, PRS-enabled “Clicker†questions, over 70 PhET simulations, and ActivPhysics applets.

 

Solutions will be included within the Student Solutions Manuals below:

Volume 1 ISBN 9780321696687

Volumes 2 and 3 ISBN 9780321696670"

 

Unless I am reading this incorrectly (which is definitely possible), it looks like the Teacher Manual does not include the solutions to the textbook problems, which I consider to be the most important component. If the solutions are in fact not included in the Teacher Manual, I think I will order an earlier edition along with the student solution manual and save a couple hundred dollars as well.

[AngieW in Texas]

I actually asked them about that today and the person I talked to said that the instructor dvd had all the instructor materials on it. I need to call again to verify. I sure don't want to spend $100 on it just to find out that the only useful thing I get from it is the powerpoints.

 

I have been trying to find instructor materials for the 11th or 12th edition, but have not been able to find them anywhere. I already own the 11th edition student book, so that's what I would really like to use.

[snowbeltmom]

I actually asked them about that today and the person I talked to said that the instructor dvd had all the instructor materials on it. I need to call again to verify. I sure don't want to spend $100 on it just to find out that the only useful thing I get from it is the powerpoints.

 

I have been trying to find instructor materials for the 11th or 12th edition, but have not been able to find them anywhere. I already own the 11th edition student book, so that's what I would really like to use.

Please let me know what you find out. Maybe I am interpreting the email response I received incorrectly.