Dominoes
Dominoes are a type of tile that has one or more dots on each side. These tiles come in a set and are used to play many different games. Some people like to line them up in rows and knock them down. Others like to use them to build structures or to make an art display. Dominoes are also used in math classes to help students learn how to count.
When the teacher shows a domino with 4 on one side and 2 on the other, the class counts the number of dots to see if it is correct. Then the class names an addition equation to show the relationship between the total number of dots and the numbers on each end of the domino.
Western dominoes were first recorded in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. They were introduced to England by French prisoners toward the end of the same period. Western dominoes are best known for their use in positional games, where a player takes turns placing a domino edge to edge against another until the matching ends of the two adjacent tiles are identical or form some specified total. The shape of the resulting chain develops from the whims and limitations of the players and the physical constraints of the playing surface.
A domino chain can be as simple as a single row, or it may extend in a snake-like fashion across the entire table. The smallest domino sets contain only 28 tiles, but larger sets can contain hundreds of pieces. Dominoes can be made of a wide variety of materials, but most are crafted from wood or bone, with a black or ivory surface and contrasting white or black pips inlaid or painted onto the surfaces. Other popular choices for dominoes include stone (such as marble, granite or soapstone); other hardwoods; metals (including brass or pewter); ceramic clay; and frosted glass or crystal.
Although dominoes have a relatively simple design, they can be very complex to master. As a result, many games are played by teams of players, with the winning team being the one that plays all of its dominoes first. A team can win even if its opponents have not played all of their pieces, but this is rare.
Hevesh is a professional domino artist who creates spectacular displays for movies, TV shows and events. She has worked on projects involving as many as 300,000 dominoes. Her largest creations can take several nail-biting minutes to fall. Hevesh has a knack for creating domino setups that appear impossible to topple, but she explains that they all fall according to the laws of physics.
When a domino falls, the other pieces quickly follow suit. This is called the domino effect. Hevesh has a video on her YouTube channel that demonstrates how the domino effect works. She has a knack for creating domino setups with complex patterns that appear impossible to topple, but she says that it all comes down to the law of gravity.
