Question

what's the difference between alg II/trig and pre-calc

Answer 1

Pre calc is just review and a reinforcement on ideas that should be understood before calc1 in my understanding.

Answer 2

Generally speaking, algebra 2 focuses more on polynomials and introducing trig functions. Pre-calculus expands on these ideas and focuses more on functions and graphing. Calculus is all about messing with functions, so pre-calculus helps get students comfortable with them before jumping into calculus.