The domino is a small tile bearing an arrangement of spots, like those on dice, on its two ends. Each end has a unique number, which produces 28 different tiles in a common domino set. Each domino is capable of being connected to another, either side-to-side or diagonally.
In the classic game of domino, players place one tile on a line or square and then follow with other tiles until the whole pattern is completed. The end points of the dominoes must match – i.e., “one’s touch two’s” – and the dots on adjacent ends must add up to a multiple of five. A player earns points for each successive domino played until they are out of moves and have to “knock” or pass the turn.
Aside from the obvious use as a gaming device, domino can be used in a variety of creative endeavors. Artists can create complex assemblages using domino pieces to tell a story or express an idea. For example, an artist might build a piece that depicts the movement of a storm or the formation of a constellation.
For the physics enthusiasts among us, domino can also be used to demonstrate the principles of gravity. For instance, the physicist Stephen Morris once made a chain of dominoes using ping pong balls to demonstrate the principle that objects fall toward the center of gravity when stacked on top of each other.
Domino is also the name of a software platform that orchestrates the end-to-end data science lifecycle across hybrid multicloud infrastructure. The product helps customers accelerate time to value from AI and improve collaboration.
Lily Hevesh started collecting dominoes at age 9, and her grandparents gave her a classic 28-pack when she was 10. She loved setting up the pieces in straight or curved lines, flicking the first one and watching the rest fall, one after the other. She soon began posting videos of her domino projects on YouTube. Her channel, Hevesh5, now has more than 2 million subscribers.
To ensure that her installations are flawless, Hevesh always makes a test version of each section of the design. She films the test in slow motion and notes any mistakes that need to be corrected. Once a layout works properly, Hevesh begins assembling the dominoes. She starts with 3-D sections, then adds flat arrangements and finally lines of dominoes connecting all the sections together.
Although the word and the game of domino first appeared in England around 1750, it is likely that the two were introduced to France in the late 1700s. Both the term and the game were popularized in America by 1860. The English word may have derived from the French noun domino, which refers to a garment worn with a mask at carnival season or at a masquerade. The French noun probably derived from an earlier sense of the word, which meant a long hooded cloak worn over a surplice. The ebony dominoes and ivory faces of the playing pieces may have reminded people of the priest’s black domino contrasting with his white surplice.