A domino is a small, rectangular block used as a gaming object. It can be made of wood, bone, or plastic and is sometimes referred to as bones, pieces, men, or cards. It’s best known for being a base for a game of skill and chance called dominoes, in which players lay down tiles with matching numbers on each end to form a line of alternating colors. The first domino to tip over causes the next one in the line to tip and so on, forming a chain reaction that continues until all of the dominoes have fallen. Many people also use them as toys that can be stacked on end in long lines to make interesting shapes or as tools for educational games, such as counting. This type of play led to the common phrase “domino effect,” which describes a situation in which one event triggers subsequent events with much greater—and sometimes catastrophic—consequences.
Dominoes are often used in school-based learning programs to teach students basic number and counting skills. These lessons are important because they provide a foundation for more advanced mathematical concepts later in the curriculum. Students learn to recognize patterns in the sequence of numbers and how to organize information. The domino principle is also a powerful concept in novel writing. It suggests that every plot beat in a story can be compared to a single domino, with each one impacting the next. When writers take the time to consider the impact of each domino, they can write a more compelling and interesting novel.
The most popular domino sets come with 28 small oblong pieces numbered from zero to six on each end. Each end of a domino has a different color to identify the suit in which it belongs: red, black, white, and blank (zero). A piece with a single spot on both ends is part of the suit of six; pieces with two spots are in the four-spot suit. Each suit has a different value, with a double-six set having the highest total of all.
Whether Hevesh makes her dominoes out of 3-D sections or flat arrangements, she tests each section before putting them all together. This allows her to refine the design and ensure that all of the parts work together before assembling the whole display. The test versions also give her an idea of the potential energy stored in each domino, which is a measure of the force needed to tip it over. Hevesh finds that it’s usually only a small nudge that will push a domino past its tipping point.