What Is Domino?
A domino is a small rectangular block of wood or plastic with one or more blank or marked areas called pips. It is a gaming piece used in games that involve matching or blocking and scoring points. The individual blocks are also known as bones, pieces, men, tiles or tickets. Most people are familiar with the traditional black and white rectangular pieces that are lined up and then knocked over in long rows. Other types of domino games include curved lines, grids that form pictures, stacked walls or 3D structures.
The word domino, as well as the game it represents, has a rich history. The word and the game both appear to have roots in French. Both the word and the game were popular in European society during the late 1700s. The game was a popular activity at parties and gatherings, and many people created their own games.
In a domino game, the first player begins by putting down a single domino tile. Each subsequent player must put down a domino tile touching the end of the previous tile, forming a chain. The chain continues until all the dominoes are laid or, in some cases, until a player is “out.”
While there are many different ways to play domino, most games are played in pairs. Each partner chooses a domino to play and places it on the table so that its number of pips is visible. The next player then plays a domino that touches the end of the previous tile in the chain, and so on.
When playing with dominoes, a good strategy is to try to create a “long train,” or chain, that covers as much of the table as possible. This can help to increase the chances of winning the game.
The physics of dominoes is intriguing, particularly when discussing the way that one domino can topple multiple other dominoes. Stephen Morris, a physicist at the University of Toronto, explains that when a domino is standing upright, it has potential energy based on its position. When the domino falls, most of this energy is converted into kinetic energy, which causes other dominoes to fall.
A person can apply the concept of domino to their own lives by picking one task that will impact a larger goal and then concentrating all of his or her efforts on completing that task. This will allow other important tasks to be completed with momentum, and will eventually lead to success.
Ivy Lee taught a famous businessman named Charles Schwab a strategy that is a variation of this principle. Lee instructed Schwab to select the most important tasks for each day, rank them according to their impact, and then work on the highest priority item until completion. By doing this, Schwab found that he was able to move the company forward very quickly. Schwab’s use of this technique became widely known as the domino effect. The term is sometimes shortened to the Domino Principle and can be applied to other areas of life as well.