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Compare buying, renting or going digital for a textbook
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You need the Econ 201 textbook. Your professor requires the online homework code, which comes with the digital version or costs $60 on its own. You can resell a bought book at the end for 40% of its price. Write exactly 3 numbered lines, one per option, each showing the real semester cost, then one unnumbered last line: Get: [option]. Plain text, under 70 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not mentioning the homework code. The AI compares sticker prices and misses that print needs a $60 code. Try: Add: "Homework code is required: included with digital, $60 otherwise."
- Forgetting resale. The AI treats buying as a full $180 loss. Try: Add: "I can resell a bought book for 40%."
- Not asking to see the work. Three pricing styles are easy to mix up. Try: Add a line to copy: "1. Buy: $180 − $72 + $60 = $168"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 14 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in your budget notes. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Mentions the code
- Mentions resale
- Asks to show the math
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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