Domino is a popular game in which players place tiles, or dominoes, on a table and then arrange them to create chains of tiles that grow longer as each player plays one tile. The tiles have a number showing on one end and a blank or identically patterned back. The numbers on the tiles may be represented by dots, or pips, similar to those on a die, or by an absence of spots, which is sometimes called a zero. Dominoes can be purchased in sets of all different colors and the chains that are built can be quite elaborate. In fact, the world record for a Domino chain is 4,491,863 pieces toppled!
Many children use dominoes as toys, stacking them on end in long lines that can then be tipped over. When the first domino in a line is tipped over, it causes the others to tip and so on until all of them have been knocked down! This has given rise to the idiom, “the domino effect,” which refers to any situation in which one small trigger starts a series of events with greater–and sometimes catastrophic–consequences.
Aside from games, dominoes can be used to make a decorative display. They can be placed in neat rows, stacked into towers, or arranged to form other shapes. For example, some people use them to draw intricate pictures on paper. Other people like to build structures out of them, such as houses and bridges. Some people even use them to play music!
The history of the domino is somewhat obscure, but it seems that the earliest dominoes were made from bone or wood and were carved from ivory. Later, in the 1700s, they became very popular in Italy. They then spread throughout the rest of Europe and it was not long before they were being played in family homes. It was also not uncommon for a domino chain to reach thousands of pieces.
In a 1983 study, University of British Columbia physicist Lorne Whitehead demonstrated that the power of a domino can actually be multiplied by a factor of two! To prove his point, he set up 13 dominoes, the first being 5 millimeters tall and only 1 millimeter thick. Each of the thirteen dominoes had a number showing on one of its ends and a blank or identically patterned backing. In order to play the piece, it was necessary that the other end of the chain show the same number.
Domino’s is a well-known pizza restaurant, but the company was not always so successful. In the early 2000s, it was losing money and needed to do something quickly to change its fortunes. They introduced new items to their menu and even expanded into delivery services, but these efforts were not enough to offset the company’s losses. By 2004, Domino’s was in dire straits and could have easily folded or faded away. One of the reasons for this was their lack of effective leadership.