Dominos are small square pieces of wood with a number written on each end, normally in black or white. They can be stacked on one another to form long lines. If you tip over the first domino in a line, it causes all the rest to fall and continue down the line, forming complex patterns. This is the basis of many popular games, and the origin of the phrase “domino effect,” referring to a sequence of events that start with a small action but lead to much larger consequences.
Whether you play with these pieces on the floor or in the classroom, domino is a great way to help students practice counting and addition. It also helps them understand the commutative property of addition. This is especially helpful for students who have not yet mastered using only symbolic representations of numbers and equations.
A domino is also a good model for how the chain reaction of a nerve impulse in your body works. A firing neuron sends a pulse down the length of its axon, causing the adjacent axons to fire as well. If the pulse is strong enough, it can even cause muscles to contract.
The popularity of domino has made it a part of pop culture. The popular game has appeared in numerous movies, television shows, and novels. The word itself is believed to have been derived from the Latin domino, meaning “flip.” This is because, like the flipping of a domino, it takes a certain amount of skill to create an impressive domino chain.
This type of art is often called “domino art.” Hevesh, the artist who created the piece you see in the image above, creates designs that include curved lines that create pictures when they fall, grids that form shapes when they fall, stacked walls, and 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. Her creations take a lot of planning, though. To make sure the pieces work properly, she test-creates each section before putting them all together. She then films each test-run in slow motion, allowing her to make precise corrections if something doesn’t work.
Unlike most other board games, domino is played by two players. Each player in turn plays a domino on the table, positioning it so that its numbers match those of an opponent’s dominoes. Then the players mark which of their dominoes have matching numbers and the winner is the one with the lowest sum of dots on its remaining unplayed dominoes.
The rules vary between different games, but a general rule is that the player cannot play a domino that has the same number on each end, which is called a “double.” This makes the game very fast and intense. If a player can’t play a domino that matches his or her opponent’s, they must “knock” and the next player takes their turn. The game stops when a player can no longer play, although some variants require players to chip out their last dominoes before ending the hand.