Pre-Algebra Worksheets
About Our Pre-Algebra Worksheets
Our Pre-Algebra worksheets are designed to show you the intuitively obvious patterns of math, the easy way. The worksheets will show you all the math that you need to know to get started learning algebra. Let’s assume that you can add, subtract, and multiply, and divide for small numbers. You are now ready to start learning all of the techniques covered in our pre algebra worksheets.
The goal of our pre algebra worksheets is to show you that math is really just a bunch of patterns. Algebra isn’t only about numbers, though, as there’s also lots of symbols and letters involved too. It’s like learning another language. If you don’t know what all those symbols mean, you’re never even going to get started with algebra. Rather than trying to memorize obscure notation, we focus on showing you the big picture of how all those symbols really work.
The pre-algebra worksheets are broken into four Problem Sets, denoted PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4. Scroll down to download.
Download the Pre-Algebra Worksheets
Download the printer-friendly worksheets below, and also find the complete video solutions and lessons here.
PS1 focuses on operations and the correct order in which they need to be applied. This is commonly called order of operations. For example, we always need to multiply before performing addition. If you add before you multiply, you are going to come up with the wrong answer, because you did the operations backwards.
It’s kinda like hair washing instructions: Lather, Rinse, Repeat. We certainly cannot rinse the shampoo before we lather in on. It only makes any sense at all if we do the right things in the right order.
PS1 also demonstrates how the negative sign works in algebra. Numbers can be positive or negative, and it’s an extremely important thing to have the right sign in the answer to an algebra problem. Moreover, in an algebra problem with many steps, there are many possibilities to make an error and get the sign wrong. So we need to carefully track the sign as we do the steps in the math. Specifically, we’ll focus on topics such as what it means to multiply by a negative number.
PS2 focuses on the idea of exponents. You may have heard that multiplication is really repeated addition. For example, 2 times 5 is 10. It really means adding up 5 twos, such as 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10. Likewise,exponents are really just repeated multiplication. We will specifically focus on squaring, which means raising a number to the 2 power, and cubing, which means raising a number to the 3 power. And we will cover the special cases of raising a number to the zero or one power, which are common algebra pitfalls.
PS2 also introduces the concept of distributing, which is an admittedly convoluted way of doing multiplication. Understanding distributing will allow us to learn how to factor when we get to the algebra 1 topics. Factoring is a key algebra technique used in solving equations, which is basically the goal of algebra in general.
PS3 covers negative exponents, which are really fractions. You need to know this. It’s another common algebra pitfall.
PS3 also covers scientific numbers, also known as exponential notation or exponential format for numbers. Scientific numbers are technically not algebra. Yet, understanding how scientific numbers work is an important step to truly understanding exponents. Plus, you need to know scientific numbers for many advanced science classes.
PS4 covers fractions. The easy way. Relax, it won’t be so bad.
PS4 will also cover the specific technique of a cross multiplication, which is useful because it essentially allows us to get rid of fractions. And that’s a nice thing!
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