As anyone who has ever played a game of dominoes knows, these small rectangular blocks can create an amazingly intricate design just by being positioned next to each other. But what many people don’t realize is that a domino’s amazing displays of design and skill are also the result of one very simple physical phenomenon: gravity.
Physicist Stephen Morris explains how this happens. When a domino is standing upright, it has potential energy (energy that’s stored in a form other than motion). But when you push on one side of the tile, it lifts up against the pull of gravity, and much like a rocket launch or car crash, the domino’s potential energy turns into kinetic energy—the energy of motion—and it falls over the next domino on its line. This chain reaction continues until the entire line has fallen.
The Domino Effect is a term used to describe the way that changing one behavior causes a cascade of other changes in your life. For example, when Jennifer Dukes Lee began making her bed each morning, it led to a shift in other areas of her home, including keeping her living room neat and tidy. Or, when a person decreases their sedentary leisure activities, they may also cut down on their fat intake as a natural side-effect.
Dominoes are made of either wood or plastic and are marked on both sides with an arrangement of spots resembling those on dice. The dominant-side markings are called pips. The other side of the domino is blank or identically patterned. Most domino sets include both doubles and singles.
Most domino games involve scoring points by placing the tiles end to end so that their matching ends touch—ones to one’s, twos to two’s, and so on. If the pips on both exposed ends total a multiple of five, the player is awarded that number of points. In some games, players block each other by putting their tiles between other dominoes. Other games use positional rules to determine winning strategies, such as bergen or muggins.
While Hevesh uses a combination of science, engineering, and art to create her incredible installations, she says that one physical phenomenon is especially crucial—gravity. “Gravity is the main thing that allows my projects to be successful,” she explains in the video below. “When you set up a large layout of dominoes, it is important to keep in mind that each piece has its own unique gravitational force.” Watch the video below to see Hevesh demonstrate how she creates her intricate domino designs.