Dominoes are small rectangular blocks of wood or plastic with an arrangement of numbered spots, or “pips” on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. When a domino is tipped over, it sets off a sequence in which the rest of the dominoes must fall in a well-choreographed pattern. This is the source of the popular expression “domino effect,” meaning that a simple action can cause a chain reaction with much larger consequences.
While Dominoes are best known as a gaming toy, they can also be used to construct intricate shapes and structures. Some of these are used as art pieces, others to teach mathematical concepts, and still more are simply enjoyed by children who like to line them up on their own.
Hevesh has worked on projects involving hundreds of thousands of dominoes, and she has set a world record for the most dominoes in a circular arrangement: 76,017. But despite the complexity of her designs, she says that the key ingredient is simple: gravity. “Gravity is what allows the whole project to work,” she explains. “If you don’t have gravity, you wouldn’t be able to make all of these incredible domino structures.”
Like the nerve impulses that travel down the brain, the dominoes’ pulse moves at a constant speed and can be transmitted only in one direction. Once a domino is tipped over, the chain reaction is complete. Hevesh makes test versions of each section of a large Dominoes installation before she puts them all together. She films each test in slow motion, allowing her to adjust the structure if it’s not working.
The most common domino sets feature 28 tiles of the double-six variety, although larger sets exist for games requiring more than four players. In addition to the most familiar blocking and scoring games, a number of layout games are played with dominoes, which are arranged to form lines or patterns that may have either a single or multiple ends. Dominoes are generally grouped into suits, each of which features a specific number (except for the 0 suit).
Some Domino sets are made from natural materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or dark hardwood such as ebony. These sets are generally more expensive than those made of polymer, but offer a feel and look that is more authentic.
Some Domino game rules require a player to play against only the same color dominoes. A single domino may belong to more than one suit, and a domino that has both a number in a particular suit and a blank or matching pattern in another suit is called a cross.