What is Domino?
Domino (or dominoes) is a game played with rectangular blocks of varying length, each bearing from one to six spots or dots. Generally they are twice as long as they are wide, making them easy to stack and restack. Each domino has a line in the middle to divide it visually into two parts, each of which may be blank or bear from one to six pips, depending on the variant being used. A domino has a value indicated by the number of pips on its two opposite ends, and this is known as its rank or weight.
The term has also been used to refer to any of the various games played with such blocks. These are primarily positional, in which each player places a domino edge to edge against another so that the adjacent faces of the two tiles match, or “fit,” and form some specified total (e.g., 5 to 2). Dominoes are often used in place of cards and dice in games that would otherwise violate religious proscriptions against their use.
A domino effect occurs when a single event triggers multiple changes that cascade from one another, much like a series of dominoes falling after being tipped over by a single finger. A good example of a domino effect occurred in December 2010, when the FBI arrested the owner of an online gambling website who had allegedly accepted payments from sportsbook operators for illegal wagers on football games. This event led to the seizure of nearly $20 million in assets and more than 100 arrests across the country.
As a name, domino is a playful and evocative word that encourages a strategic mindset. Its ties to the ancient blocking game remind us that every action has consequences, and that wise commanders always think two moves ahead.
Domino Art
You can create amazing pieces of domino art using a variety of different patterns and colors, including straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, and 3D structures such as pyramids. The possibilities are endless, so have fun and let your creativity shine!
Physicist Stephen Morris says that when a domino is standing upright, it stores up potential energy based on its position. When the domino is tipped over, it releases this energy, which causes the rest of the dominoes to fall. This principle is a fundamental concept of momentum, which describes how the force of an object’s motion changes as it passes through a given medium or space.
As a writer, you can use the domino effect to your advantage. Consider each scene in your book as a domino that, when tipped ever so slightly, naturally impacts the next scene. As you write your manuscript, keep in mind that each scene serves a purpose—as a domino, it advances the story and demonstrates a particular theme or point. Whether you write your manuscript off the cuff or carefully plot it out, thinking about these scene dominoes will help you compose a captivating story that’s both logical and memorable.