A domino is a small, rectangular piece of wood, ivory or some other material that sits on a flat surface. When it falls, it creates a chain reaction that can lead to a much bigger structure. This is similar to how a single nerve impulse can trigger the firing of many other neurons in your body. The process of creating a Dominoes setup is often called “Domino Physics.”
When you think about it, a domino effect is just like how something small can create a ripple effect that affects a large amount of people and places. This can be seen in social media posts where one person shares a video of something that leads to many more people doing the same thing and it goes viral. This can also be applied to the way we organize our day-to-day lives by starting small habits that will lead to bigger outcomes. For example, when Jennifer Dukes Lee began making her bed each day, it was a tiny change that led to many more small changes that created an identity-based habit of keeping her home clean and organized.
Unlike other toys, dominoes have an added advantage of being able to be arranged in a wide variety of ways. They can be stacked to form towers, lined up in straight or curved lines, set up in 3D structures like pyramids and pillars, or used to make grids that form pictures when they fall. The possibilities are almost limitless and allow for creative expression and a unique way to see the world around you.
The word Domino comes from the Latin for “I have” or “I have power.” The name is also an idiom, meaning that something has the potential to influence others in a significant way. The idiom is often used to refer to a political situation where one country is viewed as being the beginning of a chain reaction that causes other smaller countries to follow suit and become Communist.
While the origin of Domino is somewhat obscure, there are some interesting connections to the game and its physics. The first known use of the term was in the mid-18th century and the earliest game to be played with dominoes was a scoring version called 5s-and-3s, which is still a popular choice in British pubs and clubs.
The most common game of domino is called positional, where a player takes turns placing dominoes on the table lining them up edge to edge against other pieces with matching values. Each side of a domino has a value, usually from six to none or blank (which is sometimes called the “blank”) and players score points for completing chains of these tiles.
In addition to the traditional wood, dominoes have been made from a variety of materials, including silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), bone, ivory and dark hardwood such as ebony. The latter is often favored for its durability and distinctive look.