Calculators are a vital part of our world today, and students need to learn when, how, and why to use them. One class set per school is usually sufficient. Often an overhead calculator is part of a complete package, or it may be purchased separately. Dice may be purchased in a wide variety of formats. Common six-sided dice are readily available or easily constructed but specialty dice with more than the standard number of faces would need to be purchased.
Dice are useful for teaching probability, permutations, and combinations.
The prices of dice vary considerably depending upon type. Mira is a precision, clear acrylic instrument used to discover and understand geometric properties. At the secondary level, flips, turns, slides, and symmetry can be examined and studied. During the evaluation process, products from several companies were examined. The LRDC stocks many of the recommended manipulatives.