Domino (pronounced domino) is a popular table game involving falling tiles. It can be played by two or more players, and it’s a good way to get the family together and have some fun. There are many different rules, but the basic ones include determining who will make the first play, the order of play, and scoring.
The word domino is often used as a metaphor for something that causes a chain reaction that affects many people. For example, when someone talks about a country being “on the brink” of collapse, it’s as though a domino fell over and triggered an event that will have similar effects in other countries. The same concept applies to a series of actions that occur one after another, such as the fall of a political regime or a business.
When a person plays Domino, each tile must be placed so that its matching ends touch. Each player must also place his tiles so that they are in line with other dominoes, unless the Domino is a double. This allows the player to build a domino chain that will eventually fall over when the last domino is played.
Before a Domino is set, the player draws seven tiles from a domino stock, also known as the boneyard. The number of tiles drawn depends on the number of players – two players start with 7 tiles, three players begin with 12 and four players start with 55. If a player can’t place his Domino, he passes his turn. The next player then chooses a domino from his hand and places it on the board.
The player who makes the first play is referred to as the setter, the downer or the lead. He may also be referred to as the “remover” or the “scorer.” The word score is sometimes used for the total of points won in the game.
After the initial domino placement, each player continues placing tiles in the order dictated by the rules of the game. The player who has the highest number of doubles or the highest value of a domino starts the next round.
In recent years, Domino’s has invested heavily in technology and innovation. Half of its workers are involved in software analytics, which is allowing the company to develop new ways for customers to place their orders. For instance, they can now order a pizza simply by texting an emoji or using devices like Amazon Echo.
The speed at which Dominoes fall is determined by the power of the force that initially pushes them, the shape of the domino’s edge, and its position on the board. As the first domino falls, it sends a pulse that travels at a constant rate without losing energy. This is the same principle that underlies electrical impulses in our bodies – they travel at a fixed rate regardless of their size or the distance between the nerve cells that send and receive them.