Domino is a game of skill and strategy. It is most often played on a rectangular table with domino pieces that are arranged edge-to-edge in a line or other configuration, usually with one end of the line straddling the ends of a tile that has already been placed down. The other ends of the tiles are marked with a series of dots, or pips, arranged in an identical pattern to those on a die. The pips on a domino indicate its value in a given game; the value of a tile is determined by how many matching pips are present. Each player then attempts to place their tiles so that they form a chain of dominoes with the highest number of matching pips, or a specified total.
Dominos can be made from any type of material, but most sets are either plastic or ivory with contrasting black or white pips. Other materials that have been used for dominoes include marble, granite, soapstone and various other types of stone; wood (e.g., ebony and other dark hardwoods) and other types of timber; metals (e.g., brass and pewter); and ceramic clay. These alternative materials tend to be more expensive than their polymer counterparts.
While the majority of domino games are based on blocking and scoring, some games of a different character have also been devised for use with this system. These games often involve a single player and can be played in conjunction with the traditional blockers and scorers. Some of these games are adaptations of card games and were popular in some areas as a way to circumvent religious proscriptions against playing cards.
Some domino artists specialize in creating elaborate displays of the pieces. Such artists have created setups for movies, television shows and even an album launch for the pop singer Katy Perry. These domino setups may take several nail-biting minutes to fall, but when they do, the results are spectacular. Hevesh, a domino artist with more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, creates such mind-boggling domino setups and has even set a Guinness World Record for the largest circular arrangement of dominoes.
Hevesh follows a basic engineering-design process to create her amazing domino creations. She starts by considering the theme or purpose of her project, brainstorming images and words that might be appropriate to incorporate into the layout. She then begins to map out the arrangement.
As a domino moves forward, its potential energy becomes converted to kinetic energy, which then pushes on the next domino in the chain. This is why it takes so long for some of Hevesh’s larger installations to fall. This is also the principle behind a Domino’s pizza delivery experiment, where the CEO of Domino’s was sent undercover to work as a driver for one of their delivery services. This was part of a larger effort to modernize the company’s image and demonstrate that they were a leading innovator in their industry.
