Domino is a small, rectangular game piece that forms the basis of many games. Also known as bones, pieces, men, tiles, or cards, dominoes have a black or white surface with an arrangement of dots, like those on a die, on one end and are blank or identically patterned on the other. A traditional double-six set contains 28 unique dominoes. Dominoes can be made from a variety of rigid materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl), ivory, and wood. They are typically painted or inlaid with contrasting black or white pips to distinguish them from each other.
Most people are familiar with the classic domino game, in which players line up the dominoes on end in long lines so that when the first one is tipped over, it triggers the next and all the rest to fall over, creating an intricate pattern or structure. The popularity of this simple game has led to the development of much more complex dominoes that can be stacked in curved lines, squares that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures such as towers and pyramids.
While the basic domino game is a great way to spend time with family and friends, it can also be used to teach important principles of science, such as energy transfer. For example, Hevesh, a professional domino artist who has created stunning displays for movies, TV shows, and events, including the album launch for pop star Katy Perry, follows an engineering-design process when designing her creations.
Hevesh starts by considering the theme or purpose of her design, brainstorming images or words that might be appropriate, and then calculating how many dominoes she will need to create the desired setup. She then draws the dominoes on a sheet of paper and marks where they will be placed, making sure to allow room for the dominoes to move freely after they have been knocked over.
When she is ready to begin, Hevesh selects a domino from the stock (also called the boneyard) that has matching values to the previous one that she played. She then places it on the edge of its spot, and begins to draw other tiles from the stock. Once the value of a tile is determined, it is added to the domino that remains on its spot, forming a chain of dominoes.
When all the dominoes have been added to the chains, it is a good idea to take a moment and admire the amazing designs that can be achieved with just a few small, simple pieces! But before you do that, don’t forget today’s WONDER of the DAY: