Obtain several cylindrical food items to cut with a plastic knife.

For the digital version of the activity, acquire devices that can run the applet. If using the paper-and-pencil version, prepare various solids from clay or play dough, such as cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders. Each group of 3–4 students should have access to a three-dimensional solid to analyze.

Alternatively, consider getting food items with interesting cross-sections or getting three-dimensional foam solids from a craft store. If so, get plastic knives to slice the solids.