A domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block with a face that is divided into halves and marked with spots or other markings resembling those on dice. It is one of many different types of gaming tiles commonly used to play a game called “dominoes,” which can be played by two, three, or more people. Some games have a set limit, such as double-nine (55 tiles), or a maximum number of pieces per player, such as double-12 or double-15. The word is also sometimes used to refer to a particular style of costume, such as a hooded mask worn by masked performers at a festival.
Domino games are found all over the world. The domino rules vary greatly depending on culture and tradition, but most have in common a rule that when a piece is knocked over, the remaining pieces must fall in sequence down a line. Usually, the last remaining piece is the only one not controlled by any other players. This is known as the Domino Effect.
In modern times, domino games have become much more than a casual pasttime. Some are even considered competitive and require strategic thinking, planning, and execution. Other domino games are designed to challenge a player’s memory and skill. In any case, dominoes are often a fun way to spend an afternoon with friends or family.
The Chinese stateman Guo Xiuyuan is credited with standardizing the dominoes we know today. His work is described in the Chu sz yam (Investigations on the Traditions of All Things), which was written in 1120 CE. These early sets were made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl), or ivory with contrasting black or white pips (inlaid or painted). Later sets were made from a variety of natural materials, including stone (e.g., marble, granite or soapstone); other woods (e.g., ash, oak, redwood or cedar); metals (e.g., brass or pewter); ceramic clay; or even frosted glass or crystal.
A modern phenomenon is the Domino Effect, which states that when someone changes a certain behavior, it triggers a chain reaction in others, like a domino falling over another domino. For example, when a person stops watching TV for a few hours each day, they might start walking more or reducing their fat intake. These changes might seem minor, but they have a larger impact than you might think.
As a domino artist, Hevesh has created massive domino setups for movies, TV shows, and events, including an album launch for Katy Perry. She works on projects that can involve more than 300,000 dominoes, and it can take several nail-biting minutes for her creations to tumble according to the laws of physics.
Hevesh knows that each domino in her creation has potential energy that will not be released until a tiny nudge causes the first domino to fall. And once that happens, the other dominoes will be able to use that energy.