Willard Smith, age 16, of Burlington, Vt., for his question:

WHEN WERE DICE FIRST USED?

Dice and dice games were in use long before history was recorded. They probably originated in Asia. Cubes marked with dots were found in ancient Egyptian tombs. They were also found in tombs in India and the Far East.

In early Greek and Roman literature, many references can be found .:egarding the playing of games with dice.

Dice are small six sided cubes that can be made of bone, ivory or plastic. For various games, different symbols are marked on the six faces .

On each side of modern dice is from one to six spots. The number of these spots is such that, when the spots on the opposite sides of the die are added up, the total is always seven.

Dice are used in gambling and also in a wide variety of games such as Monopoly, backgammon and Parcheesi.

Usually two dice are tossed to give a number that can range from two to 12. The dice can be thrown by hand, although sometimes a "shaker" made of wood, crystal, metal, leather or ivory is used.