Day: September 14, 2024

Domino is a game that builds core maths skills and encourages strategic thinking. It can also be a fun way to learn about the physical world and how objects interact. The game has long been a favorite of young children. The more sophisticated sets allow the player to create complex patterns and structures that require patience and precise hand movements.

Dominoes are flat rectangular pieces of material, normally twice as wide as they are tall. They are divided visually into two squares, or “ends,” and each end of a domino is marked with a different arrangement of dots, called pips, from the other. The pips on the ends of a domino indicate its rank or value, which is indicated by the number of pips it has. A domino with more pips is usually described as heavier than one with fewer pips.

In a typical domino game, players set up a line of dominoes in a straight or curved shape. The first domino is then flipped over, triggering the rest of the dominoes to fall over in careful sequence. The more dominoes in the chain, the bigger the effect when the last domino falls. Domino shows feature builders creating spectacular chains and effects for a live audience.

This sort of chain reaction is known as the domino effect, and it has proven to be surprisingly powerful. A 1983 study by University of British Columbia physics professor Lorne Whitehead demonstrated that the largest domino, which was about three feet in height, could knock over an object one-and-a-half times its size.

Lily Hevesh, 20, a professional domino artist with more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, has been setting up and falling impressive displays since she was a child. Her large installations, which can contain hundreds of thousands of dominoes in a single setup, take several nail-biting minutes to complete and may need a few tries to get them all to fall perfectly. She makes test versions of each section of an installation and films them in slow motion, so she can see exactly what needs to be corrected when the final version is ready to be filmed.

She uses a variety of materials and methods to produce her works, including 3D structures and curved lines that form pictures when they fall. She spends hours planning her designs before she starts putting them together. She then tests each section individually to make sure it will work before she begins laying them out on the floor.

Most games are played with a standard domino set, which contains 28 tiles, seven doubles (two identically patterned ends from a double blank to a double six) and 21 singles (one end has a number and the other is blank). There are many variations of domino games, but most are based on scoring points by placing your dominoes so they touch: one’s touching ones, two’s touching two’s, etc. In partnership play, you add the total score of the opponents’ dominoes to your own, rounded up to the nearest multiple of five.

A horse race is a contest among horses that are either ridden by jockeys or pulled by sulkies and drivers. The event has entranced spectators for centuries and continues to fascinate today. However, the sport also has some dark sides that are rarely reported, especially in American media.

A classic succession “horse race” pits several recognized candidates against each other to determine the next chief executive officer of a large company. Some executives and governance observers are uncomfortable with this overt competition because they believe it can disrupt the performance of an organization. Yet, proponents of the horse race argue that it is a valid and effective tool to use when choosing a senior-level leader.

When done properly, the horse race approach can lead to a well-matched successor that aligns with the vision for the company’s future. Moreover, it signals that the board and current CEO have established a succession culture that includes processes to systematically prepare high achievers for more demanding roles. This, in turn, ensures that the next CEO has the competency and seasoning to take on the task.

One of the key drawbacks to horse racing is that it often results in the unnecessary suffering of horses. According to experts, racing can cause physical and psychological trauma for these animals. The confined, unnatural environments in which they are forced to run can inhibit their natural instincts and lead to mental and emotional distress. These problems can be manifested in behavioral issues such as biting, kicking and pacing. In many cases, euthanasia is the only way to end the suffering.

Another issue related to horse racing is the practice of using drugs on race horses to boost their performance and make them more likely to win a particular race. While random drug testing is in place, the drugs are often used to an excessive extent, and they can cause serious health problems for the horses. Moreover, the drugs can cause the animal to develop an addiction and in the long run, they can kill it.

After the race, most racehorses are either put down or sent to slaughterhouses. The reason is that they are not profitable for their owners to keep. This can happen due to a number of reasons including injuries, poor performance, and even age-related decline. The slaughterhouses then sell the horses for their meat to places like Japan and Canada where it is a popular delicacy.

Despite its controversial roots, horse racing has become an entertainment staple that provides the opportunity for spectators to bet on winners and enjoy the thrill of watching these beautiful animals run in front of them. However, the plight of these creatures is something that should not be ignored. It is crucial that we continue to support organizations who are dedicated to ending the cruelty of this industry and to raise awareness about the traumatic effects of horse racing. Hopefully, the day will come when the practice is banned around the world.