Domino is a game where players place dominoes side to side in such a way that the exposed ends of two adjacent pieces match and the dots on those ends add up to a multiple of five. The player then scores the total on both sides of the exposed dominoes and the remaining tiles are removed from play. There are many variants of this simple game, which can be played alone or in teams.
Dominoes have been around for a long time, but they were not always known as domino. The name comes from the Latin dominus, which means master of the house. In the early 18th century, the term was adapted as the name of a game, then used to describe the set of pieces. The word and the game have come a long way since then, but their origin remains obscure.
The earliest dominoes were probably made from bone or ivory, and a number of natural materials have been used to make domino sets. The most common set today is made of plastic polymer, but sets are also available from natural materials such as wood (such as ebony, mahogany or oak) and metals (including brass or pewter). Natural-material sets are usually heavier than those of polymer, and some have a more traditional look and feel.
Some people use dominoes to create art, such as curved lines that form pictures when they fall or grids that make patterns on the floor when they are laid out. Others use them to make more complex structures, such as stacked walls and pyramids.
In the video below, Stephen Morris, who holds a Ph.D, shows how a domino is much more powerful than we might think. He sets up a series of 13 dominoes, each of which is about 1.5 times bigger than the previous one. The first domino is so tiny – it’s only 5 millimeters tall and 1 millimeter thick – that it needs to be set up with a tweezer. But when it’s pushed, the potential energy stored in it becomes kinetic energy and knocks over the next domino, and then the next, and so on.
There are numerous games that can be played with dominoes, but the most popular are blocking and scoring games. In blocking games, the object is to empty the opponent’s hand by putting down dominoes that block their path. In scoring games, the goal is to fill your own hand with dominoes of a certain total.
The leadership structure of a company is a bit like a domino effect. You can have a strong leader at the top, but that person needs to have support from those below them. If a manager is not supported by their subordinates, it can cause problems in the workplace. One of the most successful examples of a strong leadership team is Domino’s Pizza, which has been praised for its corporate culture. In the Domino’s Undercover Boss series, CEO Don Meij sends himself to work in several stores and delivery services, so that he can see for himself what is going on in the company.
