A domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block, the face of which is divided into halves. Each half is marked by a number of dots resembling those on dice. The number of dots on a domino determines its value, which is usually indicated in a numbering system similar to that used for playing cards. The most common value is a double-six, but the numbers on a domino may range from six to none or blank. A domino is normally twice as long as it is wide, but the ends of a domino may be either straight or curved. Dominoes are stacked on end to form lines, or, more complexly, can be arranged into grids that form pictures when they fall.
There are a large number of games that can be played with a set of dominoes, some of which have identical rules and others that differ from one region to another. Consequently, the term domino is often used generically to refer to any game involving these small blocks.
Dominoes are a familiar sight in homes and restaurants across the world, and their popularity has prompted researchers to investigate the properties of these simple building blocks. They are surprisingly powerful, and can knock down objects over one-and-a-half times their size. This is why dominoes are often used to illustrate a phenomenon known as the “domino effect,” in which one event causes something much bigger to happen.
In 1957, Tom Monaghan opened the first Domino’s Pizza in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He focused on putting the pizzerias in areas with college campuses, which attracted young people who wanted fast food. This strategy paid off and the company soon expanded.
Hevesh, who creates elaborate domino displays for movies, TV shows and events—including an album launch for Katy Perry—has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers. She makes test versions of each section of a display before putting it together, and films the process in slow motion. This enables her to make precise corrections if the design doesn’t work as expected.
Many different games can be played with a domino set, some of which are based on logic and others that require strategic planning. A variety of scoring methods are also used, depending on the rules of a particular game. For example, some games count the total number of pips on all tiles in the losing player’s hands at the end of a hand or game, while others only count the end of a double (e.g. a 5-5 tile). The score of the winning player may be increased by counting the pips on all tiles in the stock before beginning a new hand or game. This method is sometimes referred to as the “double-score” method of scoring. Occasionally, the pips on all the doubles are counted in the scoring, as well. This is called the “full-count” method of scoring. A variation on this method is the “half-count” technique. This is used in some of the most complex domino games.