Domino is a set of small square blocks, normally about the size of playing cards, that are arranged on their ends in long lines. When the first domino is tipped over, it causes the next domino in the line to tip over, and so on until all the dominoes have fallen. Dominoes can be used to play a variety of games and can even be stacked to create complex designs.
Dominos can be used to build structures such as curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, and 3D pyramids. Some artists use them to create works of art that are amazingly detailed and intricate. Dominoes can also be shaped into figures like people and animals.
One of the most popular uses for domino is for a game called draw and count, in which players take turns laying a single tile onto the table so that it touches a matching end of another existing piece, building a chain of tiles with one side showing a number and the other blank or identically patterned. Players can also play with doubles, which are placed in a cross-way across the end of the domino chain or diagonal to it. The shape of the chains can develop into a snake-like pattern, or a line that forms a square depending on the rules and limitations of the playing surface and the game being played.
Unlike many other toys, dominoes can be used in various ways to create different types of games and activities. They can be used to play traditional games such as draw and count, or they can be stacked to create intricate patterns that make for a different kind of entertainment. Dominoes are usually made from a sturdy material such as wood, though plastic is sometimes used as well.
The popularity of domino has also led to the creation of other games and activities that use them, such as building walls of dominoes, or using them to create art or structures. For example, some people have created a game where they place the dominoes on a flat surface to build a structure such as a wall or a castle, and then try to knock it over. Other people have used them to create a drawing or picture by pushing them down on top of each other, or to make sculptures.
There are even domino-themed puzzles, such as those where the aim is to put the pieces into a specific arrangement.
Domino is a common word in everyday life, and it’s often used to describe events that begin with one small trigger but end up causing much more significant–and sometimes catastrophic–consequences. For instance, the phrase “domino effect” was coined in the political arena to refer to the way that the fall of a single communist regime could trigger a series of other countries to follow suit. In a business context, the domino effect is also commonly used to describe how changes in one behavior can cause shifts in related behaviors that aren’t explicitly tied to the initial change.