Branch 04 · free, no sign-up
Pre-Algebra Calculators
The bridge between arithmetic and algebra. Nothing here is new arithmetic — it is the same operations extended to negatives, ratios and letters standing in for numbers.
Every calculator in this branch is checked by a mathematician before it goes live.
- (−3)² · (−3)³ the product
- (−3)2+3 same base, so add the exponents
- (−3)⁵ = −243 an odd power keeps the negative sign
Calculators
All 6 pre-algebra calculators, by topic
each topic removes one assumption arithmetic made
Integers
Ratios & Proportions
Exponents
Knowledge base
Read the reasoning, not just the answer
one article per question a teacher would answer
Questions
Asked often enough to answer here
the ones that change how you work, not trivia
What is the difference between −3² and (−3)²?
The first is −9 and the second is 9. Without brackets the exponent binds tighter than the minus sign, so you square the 3 and then negate. This single detail causes more lost marks than any other in pre-algebra.
When is a ratio a fraction?
A part-to-whole ratio is a fraction — 3 red out of 5 balls is 3/5. A part-to-part ratio, 3 red to 2 blue, is not; writing it as 3/2 means something different.
Do I need pre-algebra if I am already in algebra?
If sign errors and exponent rules keep costing you, yes. Those are pre-algebra topics, and no amount of algebra practice fixes them.
Nearby
Branches that touch this one
linked because the maths overlaps, not because it fills space