Domino is a game that involves placing pieces of wood or other material in such a way that they form a straight line. The player then flicks the first domino, which causes the entire line to fall. This can be done in a variety of ways, including using the pieces to create shapes and patterns, or to make them into 3D structures like towers and pyramids. Domino is played both in schools and homes, and it is often used as a teaching tool to teach the principles of geometry.
Lily Hevesh started playing with dominoes when she was 9, and by age 10, she was creating elaborate lines of them. She’s now a professional domino artist, and her YouTube channel has more than 2 million subscribers. She’s also created domino sets for movies, TV shows, and events–including a Katy Perry album release party.
In the past, dominoes were typically made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony. More recently, plastics and other polymers have replaced these natural materials. Many dominoes are now made of a dense, smooth, ceramic-like material that feels and looks more substantial than their natural counterparts. This material is usually coated with a glossy finish to resist scratching and staining.
The word domino was introduced to English in the late 1700s, and the game itself spread from Italy and France shortly thereafter. It is believed that the term came from a French word that may have referred to the long, hooded cloak worn with a mask at a masquerade or carnival season. Alternatively, the name could have been inspired by a French term for a cape that a priest would wear over his surplice.
The most common use for a domino is to play positional games, where each player places one tile edge-to-edge against another. The edges of the tiles are marked with a number of dots, called pips, which indicate how they can be combined with other adjacent tiles in a given arrangement. The rules of each game determine how the pips are interpreted. For example, in some games, the long sides of a double are considered closed, while others allow additional tiles to be placed against the two open ends of a double.
Domino is also used as a metaphor for personal growth and success. By concentrating on one activity that will have a domino effect on other interests, we can achieve more than we ever imagined. This video of a simple domino chain illustrates this concept.