Dominoes are a type of tile game that can be used to create an array of shapes and patterns. They are also an excellent tool for learning basic physics principles.
The term “domino” refers to a set of rectangular pieces with one side that is blank or identically patterned and another side that features a number of dots, called pips, or none at all. The pips on a domino are usually arranged in a specific pattern, which distinguishes it from a regular tile. The pips on a domino may have a value of either 1, 6, 7, 8, or none at all (depending on the rules of a given game).
Each domino is normally twice as long as it is wide. This makes them easy to stack together, which can lead to an incredible variety of games. Dominoes can also be glued to other surfaces, such as wood, for even more possibilities.
Like playing cards or dice, dominoes are an important component of many table games. They can be used to build structures such as towers and pyramids, or they can be manipulated into straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, or even 3D structures such as stacked walls. They can be played with two or more players, with the winner being determined by who has the most tiles in a given number of rounds.
Lily Hevesh grew up with dominoes, starting out with the classic 28-piece set her grandparents had. She started creating her own domino setups, and eventually started posting videos of them online. Now, she creates mind-blowing domino art for movies, TV shows, and events—including a Katy Perry album launch.
In a typical domino game, each player starts with seven tiles, and the first person to play their piece lays the first domino on the table. This begins a chain reaction that ends when a single domino, called the final tile, falls on top of all other dominoes.
The rules of a given domino game can vary, but most involve placing the tiles on a rectangular layout with open sides. This allows other tiles to be placed on those ends, connecting the dominoes into a line. Some games only allow additional dominoes to be placed on the open ends of a double, while others consider all four sides of a double as open for play.
When a domino is standing upright, it has potential energy, or stored energy based on its position. When a domino falls, most of that potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, or energy of motion. This energy then travels to the next domino, pushing it over, and so on, in a chain reaction until all of the dominoes have fallen. As a result, a simple act such as a person touching the end of a domino can trigger a massive chain reaction that lasts for miles. This is why it is important to be careful when handling a domino.