When you think of domino, you might think of a simple tile game played on the floor with people taking turns to place their tiles in such a way that they form chains that gradually increase in length. However, the truth is that these dominoes have much more power than most of us realize. In fact, dominoes can knock over objects about one-and-a-half times their size. This amazing fact comes courtesy of a 1983 experiment by University of British Columbia physicist Lorne Whitehead, who demonstrated the power of the domino effect in front of a large audience at a science museum.
Dominoes are rectangular tiles with a number of spots on one side and a blank or identically patterned side. This arrangement of spots is called the “value” or “pips,” and it determines the domino’s rank or weight. A domino with more pips is heavier and has higher rank than a domino with fewer or no pips.
Most games of domino are played by two or more players, with each player having a seat at the table and drawing a hand of tiles from the stock (also known as the “nobles”) according to rules specified in the game. The person who draws the highest ranked domino, which is sometimes referred to as the “heaviest” or “best,” begins play. If no player holds the heaviest domino, players may draw new hands until someone wins.
The rules of domino vary by game, but in all of them, players must take their turn placing a domino on the board. Each domino must be positioned so that its matching end touches a previously placed tile and the chain develops in a snake-like shape. The next domino played must touch the other end of this chain, and a domino placed alongside a double touching at both ends is said to be “stitched up.”
A domino can be flipped over when the player wants to take back one of their tiles or pass their turn. In most games, each player has the option to do this once per turn, and they may also use this strategy to gain points in some situations.
Dominoes are often used to create elaborate and beautiful works of art, which can be made in straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, or 3-D structures like towers and pyramids. A professional domino artist, known as Hevesh, is well-known for her work and has a YouTube channel with more than 2 million subscribers. Her most impressive displays can take several nail-biting minutes to fall, and they’re based on meticulous planning.
The CEO of Domino’s, which is based in the Detroit area, recently talked about the company’s core values and how one of them is to “Champion Our Customers.” When David Brandon took over as the CEO of Domino’s, he knew he needed to pay attention to customer complaints and get feedback from employees. He did this by implementing a more casual dress code, offering more training, and even talking to Domino’s workers directly. Hevesh says that this line of communication helped the company improve its performance.