Final answer:
It is legal to copy and distribute a short book for educational purposes if the book has an open copyright license, like a Creative Commons Attribution license, as long as the original creators are attributed and the materials remain unchanged.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question addresses the legality of copying and distributing textbooks for educational use. In the context provided, it is legal to copy a short book if the book is distributed under an open copyright license such as a Creative Commons Attribution license. This open textbook is made available to be freely used by students, teachers, and the public, as long as the original creators are attributed and the materials are unaltered.
The important points to note are that the book must be distributed unchanged and include the necessary attributions as specified by the copyright licensing. This approach aligns with promoting affordable education and equity by making learning materials accessible to all students, thus alleviating the financial burden often associated with purchasing textbooks.
To summarize, in the case of this book with an open license, the statement that it would be legal to copy and distribute the book to others for educational purposes holds true, provided the conditions of the license are met. Therefore, the answer to the question is 1) True.