The Many Games Possible With Dominoes
A domino is a small rectangular block of wood or another material with a surface bearing a number of dots resembling those on dice. It is used in games in which players try to make a chain of adjacent tiles that can be tipped over, one after the other, so that they all fall. The game can be played with any number of players, although four or more is generally recommended to ensure that everyone has a chance to play a turn. Many different games are possible with Domino, and some of them are more complex than others. Dominoes can also be stacked in long lines to form shapes or to create structures like stairs, walls and arches. Some of these structures are built for play only, but some are made to show off a particular skill or to provide entertainment. When a domino is tipped over, it triggers the next tile to tip, which in turn causes the next to tip and so on. This is the basis for the phrase “domino effect,” which describes a chain reaction with much larger consequences than would be expected from just one initial event.
Dominoes can be used to play a wide variety of games, including solitaire and match game. The rules for each game vary slightly, but usually a player may choose a tile from his or her hand to place on the table and position so that its two matching ends touch. A double can be placed in any direction, but it is often played cross-ways across the end of a row of tiles. In this way a chain develops, allowing the player to create an intricate design, with a snake-like shape developing over time.
In some games, the winner is determined by counting the pips on the tiles left in the losers’ hands at the end of a hand or the game. In other games, the winning player must match or exceed a set number of points scored by his or her opponents. These sets are commonly called the maximum scoring sets, and they include a double-twelve (91 tiles) or double-nine (55 tiles) set. Alternatively, some players agree to count the total of the two unused ends on each double instead of just one end on each, and this method is sometimes known as the stitched-up end rule.
A young Lily Hevesh got her first domino set from her grandparents when she was 9 years old, and she fell in love with the idea of arranging them in straight or curved lines and flicking the first one to start the chain reaction. Her fascination with dominoes eventually led her to become a professional artist, creating stunning setups for movies, TV shows and even events for pop stars.
In addition to its traditional use in games, domino is used for educational and scientific purposes. Stephen Morris, a physicist at the University of Toronto, explains that when a domino is stood upright, it stores potential energy in its position. When the domino falls, most of this energy is converted to kinetic energy that makes the other tiles fall. In some cases, this kinetic energy can even trigger chain reactions in other materials, such as stone and metals. Dominoes have been fashioned from various natural materials, including bone (often of the tusk of an elephant or rhinoceros), silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (“mother of pearl”), ivory and dark hardwoods such as ebony. In recent times, dominoes have been manufactured from polymers such as PVC and ABS.
A domino is a small rectangular block of wood or another material with a surface bearing a number of dots resembling those on dice. It is used in games in which players try to make a chain of adjacent tiles that can be tipped over, one after the other, so that they all fall. The game can be played with any number of players, although four or more is generally recommended to ensure that everyone has a chance to play a turn. Many different games are possible with Domino, and some of them are more complex than others. Dominoes can also be stacked in long lines to form shapes or to create structures like stairs, walls and arches. Some of these structures are built for play only, but some are made to show off a particular skill or to provide entertainment. When a domino is tipped over, it triggers the next tile to tip, which in turn causes the next to tip and so on. This is the basis for the phrase “domino effect,” which describes a chain reaction with much larger consequences than would be expected from just one initial event. Dominoes can be used to play a wide variety of games, including solitaire and match game. The rules for each game vary slightly, but usually a player may choose a tile from his or her hand to place on the table and position so that its two matching ends touch. A double can be placed in any direction, but it is often played cross-ways across the end of a row of tiles. In this way a chain develops, allowing the player to create an intricate design, with a snake-like shape developing over time. In some games, the winner is determined by counting the pips on the tiles left in the losers’ hands at the end of a hand or the game. In other games, the winning player must match or exceed a set number of points scored by his or her opponents. These sets are commonly called the maximum scoring sets, and they include a double-twelve (91 tiles) or double-nine (55 tiles) set. Alternatively, some players agree to count the total of the two unused ends on each double instead of just one end on each, and this method is sometimes known as the stitched-up end rule. A young Lily Hevesh got her first domino set from her grandparents when she was 9 years old, and she fell in love with the idea of arranging them in straight or curved lines and flicking the first one to start the chain reaction. Her fascination with dominoes eventually led her to become a professional artist, creating stunning setups for movies, TV shows and even events for pop stars. In addition to its traditional use in games, domino is used for educational and scientific purposes. Stephen Morris, a physicist at the University of Toronto, explains that when a domino is stood upright, it stores potential energy in its position. When the domino falls, most of this energy is converted to kinetic energy that makes the other tiles fall. In some cases, this kinetic energy can even trigger chain reactions in other materials, such as stone and metals. Dominoes have been fashioned from various natural materials, including bone (often of the tusk of an elephant or rhinoceros), silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (“mother of pearl”), ivory and dark hardwoods such as ebony. In recent times, dominoes have been manufactured from polymers such as PVC and ABS.