Pre-algebra

common name for a course in middle school mathematics

Pre-algebra is a part of mathematics which is studied typically in the United States. It is usually taught in 8th grade to prepare students for algebra, geometry, and other subjects that are taught in high school. Pre-algebra helps students understand variables and graphs. Pre-algebra often deals with basic math, while adding letters, commonly used are x and y.

Subjects students often learn include:

Pre-algebra is mainly about equations and evaluating what certain variables are. An example is 3y+x-3=y-x+10 say we need to solve for x. we would need to subtract 3y from both sides of the equal sign. So it becomes x-3=10-2y-x next we need to add 3. So x=13-2y-x, and then add x to each side. 2x=13-2y divide each side by 2 so x=-y+13/2.

Szczepanski, Amy F. & Kositsky, Andrew P. 2008. The complete idiot's guide to pre-algebra.