Life of Fred Getting Ready for High School Pre-Algebra Series is designed for students who have completed the elementary, intermediate, and arithmetic series books. Most students who use this series are in middle school.

There are three books in Pre-Algebra Series, available individually or in a set:

1. Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 0 with Physics (Sample Pages)

Fred does physics before algebra.

Learn . . .

• How ducks and cows pronounce µ differently
• Why no one can weigh 55 kilograms
• How Kingie could move a safe that superman couldn't

. . . and even some elementary physics:

• Numerals
• Making models
• Nineteen conversion factor problems
• Area of a rectangle
• Friction independent of speed
• Constants of Proportionality
• Exact speed of light
• Continuous and discrete variables
• Story of the meter
• Pendulums
• Oblate spheroids
• Square roots
• Normal forces
• Coefficient of friction
• Solving d = rt for r
• Graphing points
• Ordered pairs
• Why rocks stop falling
• Hunch-conjecture-theory-law
• Simultaneity doesn't exist
• Inductive and deductive reasoning
• How fossils and astronomy are connected
• Hooke's law
• Three meanings of plastic
• Static vs. kinetic friction
• Nine forms of energy
• Energy Cards game
• Experimentally finding the coefficient of static friction without knowing the weight of the object
• Resolving a vector into its components
• Addition of vectors
• Similar triangles
• Slope
• Physicists think that there isn't any work in holding a bowling ball
• Kelvin temperature
• Law of conservation of energy
• Perpetual motion machines
• Kilowatt-hours
• Photosynthesis
• Metric system
• Gregorian calendar
• Two ways to measure mass
• Definition of pi
• Inertia
• Newton's first and second laws
• Definition of pressure
• Exponents
• Density of neutron stars
• Computing the mass of an iron atom
• Cavalieri's principle
• Pressure at a given depth
• Buoyancy
• Finding the volume of a desk lamp
• Air has mass
• Why 35-foot straws don't work
• Gedankenexperiments
• Elliptical constructions
• Galvani and dead frogs that twitch
• Schematic drawings in electrical circuits
• Electrons per second in an ampere
• Ohm's law
• Batteries in series
• Computing resistance in parallel circuits
• Dangers of electricity—Thomas Merton
• History of the atom
• Principal quantum number
• Orbital quantum number
• Orbital magnetic quantum number
• Spin magnetic quantum number
• Positron

2. Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology (Sample Pages)

A spring morning in Fred's life. Find out about...

• What it takes to run a shopping mall
• How to ask for oats in Scotland
• The correct way to deliver flowers to a hospital patient

and even some algebra and biology, including...

• Definition of Life
• Sets
• Fractions
• Germination of Seeds
• Area of a Rectangle
• Volume of a Cube
• Ordinal Numbers
• Diameter and Circumference of a Circle
• Definition of ?
• 2% of 500
• Four Ways Plants Make New Plants
• d = rt
• 20% Discount
• The Five Kingdoms
• Phyla
• Classes
• Orders
• Families
• Genera
• Species
• Your Brain
• Conversion Factors
• Where the Non-Water Mass of a Plant Comes From — Plants Don't Eat Dirt
• Subsets of Sets
• Digestion
• Eyes
• Negative Numbers
• Dominant Genes
• Genotypes
• Phenotypes
• Blood
• Staying Alive
• Solving Algebraic Equations
• Volume of a Cylinder
• Word Problems
• Breathing
• Chlorophyll vs. Hemoglobin vs. Hemocyanin
• Avogadro's Number
• Stoichiometry
• The Whole Numbers
• A Proof that Division by Zero is Not Permitted
• Bones
• The Integumentary System
• Epidermis and Dermis
• Meiosis and Mitosis
• Chromosomes
• DNA
• Alleles
• Changing Your Phenotype

3. Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 2 with Economics (Sample Pages)

Fred begins his summer vacation. Learn...
• How to get rid of snakes in sugar cane fields
• The difference between freedom and liberty
• How not to bore your horse if you are a jockey
• Why Fred couldn't be a movie star

and even some algebra and economics, including...

• Domain and codomain of a function
• Conversion factors
• Steps in Solving Word Problems
• One-to-one Functions, Unit Analysis
• Key to a Successful Business
• Five Qualities that Money Should Have
• Definitions of Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism
• Payday Loans
• Interest Rates
• Partnerships
• Cardinality of a Set
• Four Ways to Kill Competition
• Freedom vs. Liberty
• Why We Have a High Standard of Living
• Tariffs
• Demand Curves
• Venn Diagrams
• Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage