Does anyone have a recommendation for a pre-Calc book that would be good for self study of the subject? Preferably one with answers to the problems available and clear explanations/good examples. This would be to use as a refresher for an adult who took it a long time ago. Goal is to prepare for Calc 1 (and eventually higher level math) at a state flagship university. I figured this group might have some good suggestions!

You could try Richard Brown's Advanced Math book. It has a solutions manual. Make sure you get the 2002 book and the correct manual for it (I've linked to the correct versions).

You could also try Art of Problem Solving. They make solutions manuals.

I've used the Brown book for my own reviewing and with my DS. I find the explanations to be lucid. We haven't tried AoPS yet, but own the Intermediate Algebra books and will be starting them in a couple of weeks.

Thanks, Val. The AoPS one looks good, will give that one a try.

AoPS books are good for budding mathematicians, but I think they may be more theoretical than necessary for someone who just wants to be prepared for a college calculus course geared to engineers and pre-meds (rather than math majors). I recommend something like "Schaum's Outline of Precalculus", available for $4 used on Amazon including shipping. The SAT math subject test level 2 covers math through pre-calculus. Someone who scores 700+ on it is ready for a college calculus course, and study guides and practice tests are available.

We have a few AoPS books and have been very pleased with them, although we do not have a pre-calculus book. DS10 finds them quite easy to read.

Also... what about a recommendation for a calculator? Assuming the student would like to go on to higher level math beyond calculus, and possibly some advanced physics courses?

I do a lot of number-crunching, but always with a spreadsheet or a custom-built program, never a calculator. The SAT and some other standardized do allow calculators, though. You could search online to see what calculators are recommended for standardized tests.

Check out the TI 84 Silver Edition and nspire. They are graphing calculators with many other capabilities, and can be used on the SAT and ACT. DS11 loves his nspire, recommended by a friend.

It looks like pretty much all the TI calculators available are allowed on standardized tests. I can't really imagine getting through college calc/higher level math/physics with a spreadsheet... although I use them a lot for work and personal things, you certainly can't use them in an exam, for example. M&M's mom, I spent some time comparing options on the TI website. Am thinking the TI-89 might be the way to go at this point. This business of the rechargable battery with the nSpire sounds like a hassle.