Domino is a term used to describe a series of events that begins with one simple action, and leads to much larger—and often catastrophic—consequences. You can use this concept to help you tackle difficult projects or tasks that seem overwhelming by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable pieces. For example, if you want to create a budget for your finances, you could break down the task into several good dominoes, such as outlining your goals, creating a financial plan, and executing that plan. Each of these would be a separate domino, and each step could be worked on independently.
While some people simply use dominoes as toys to stack on end in long lines, others take the game much more seriously. Many different games can be played with them, and the results can be very creative. They can also be used as a tool to teach children about the science of physics. When a domino is tipped over, the force of gravity causes the rest to tip over, and if enough dominoes are stacked together, they can even make some pretty amazing shapes!
The individual dominoes are called tiles, stones, cards, or spinners, and they come in various colors and designs. They are grouped into sets, and each set typically contains 28 tiles. Depending on the type of game, different sizes are used. A double-twelve or double-nine set is usually enough for a game with four players. The first player to play all of his or her tiles wins the game.
Most domino games involve emptying one’s hand while blocking opponents’ play, or scoring points based on the number of pips (spots on a tile) in the losing players’ hands. Some of these games are adaptations of card games and were originally popular in areas that have religious restrictions on the playing of cards. Other games are more like solitaire, or trick-taking, and may have varying rules such as whether a double-blank counts as one or two, or whether a 6-6 can be counted as six or 12 points.
Some people also play dominoes to practice math skills, and some even use them to illustrate the principles of probability. The simplest way to do this is by counting the total of the exposed ends of the first domino that is played (normally a double-six or double-eight), and then counting the total number of exposed pairs of adjacent sides on subsequent tiles.
While many dominoes are made of polymer, they can also be made from natural materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl), ivory, and ebony with contrasting black or white pips. These sets are typically more expensive than those made of polymer, and they usually have a more elegant look to them. They are also heavier than those of polymer, so they can feel more substantial and durable in one’s hand. They can even be carved into intricate shapes, or made to look like animals, cars, buildings, and other structures.