Domino is a game that involves laying out a series of black and white rectangles called dominoes. They can be stacked, twisted, and toppled into different patterns. They are similar to dice and playing cards in that they can be used for many different games.
They are also a popular way to entertain children and adults at parties and events. Some people use them for a simple trick-taking or blocking game, while others play a more complicated version called solitaire.
There are many ways to play with dominoes, but the most common method is to set them up in a line. A player flicks the first domino, and then the rest fall in a straight or curved line.
Getting Started
To get started with dominoes, you need a basic set of 28 pieces (the size of a standard deck of playing cards). There are different sets, but most contain the same number of dominoes: one for each possible combination of numbers from one to six spots on each end, called pips.
You can purchase these sets at most stores, including Wal-Mart and Target. They are available in both plastic and wood. The wood versions are more durable, but they are also more expensive than the plastic ones.
Creating a Domino Setup
A great domino installation requires precise planning and engineering skills. Unlike most other games, however, it takes more than physical strength to create a successful domino setup.
When you build a domino set, you have to consider the forces that act on each piece and how they interact with one another. In particular, gravity and friction are two important factors that impact how each domino falls.
Hevesh, a professional domino artist, says she often starts by making test versions of each section of a display to make sure they fall properly. She also films each test in slow motion so she can make exact corrections if something doesn’t work.
Once she has an idea of what she wants her domino display to look like, she goes through a design process that follows the engineering-design method. She brainstorms images or words to include in the set, and then lays out a plan for how she will arrange each section of the installation.
She then builds each piece of the installation, starting with the largest 3-D sections and working her way down to the smaller flat arrangements. She uses a variety of types of dominoes to ensure her setup will work properly, from wooden to plastic and even metal.
When she’s happy with the design, she puts the pieces together in a way that will allow them to tumble down according to the laws of physics.
What is the Domino Effect?
A domino rally is an arrangement of 28 dominoes. Each domino has a number of spots on it that corresponds to its value. When a domino falls, it releases energy that travels from the previous domino to the next one in the set. Some of this energy is converted to kinetic energy, the energy of motion; and other parts of it are transferred to the next domino in the chain. This process continues until the last domino is knocked over.