William Mueller (see Wmueller.com below) describes precalculus as the bridge between the math you know, such as arithmetic and algebra, and a wondrous, fertile land ahead: calculus.
My seventh-grade daughter has a tee shirt that says "Pre-Algebra: the beginning of the end!" And if high-school math is the end objective, then pre-algebra certainly is the beginning. Here are my picks for sites that both explain pre-algebra, and provide
The word "algebra" derives from the Arabic