The domino effect is when one thing knocks over another thing, and it starts a chain reaction that continues until everything is over. It’s not only a cool phenomenon, but it can be very useful in business and even science.
In writing, we can use the domino effect to help readers understand a story or idea. It helps explain why one scene leads to the next, and it can also help readers see logical ways for characters to behave.
A domino is a flat, thumbsized rectangular block, each face either blank or bearing from one to six pips or dots (the plural of which is dom*i*noes). In Western domino games, the pips are used to indicate the value of each tile. Each player places a domino edge to edge against another domino so that the adjacent faces are identical or form some specified total. The player who plays the first tile in a domino game may be referred to as the setter, the downer, or the lead.
The traditional domino set contains 28 tiles. Each domino originally represented the 21 possible results of throwing two six-sided dice (2d6). One half of each domino contained the pips from one die, and the other half accounted for the pips on the second die. Some of the pips are “no-pips” (“nulls”), and these are called blanks or voids.
Some rules of domino stipulate that the heaviest double begins play; in some cases, a tie is broken by drawing new tiles from the stock. Other rules dictate that the winner of the last game opens play, or that the heaviest single is played first.
When the first domino falls, some of its potential energy converts to kinetic energy, the energy of motion, which then powers the next domino over. This kinetic energy is transmitted to the next domino, providing the push it needs to fall over as well.
Hevesh makes test versions of each section of her mind-blowing domino setups to make sure they work correctly. She films each test in slow motion, allowing her to see exactly what works and what doesn’t. Once a section is completed, she begins by building bigger 3-D arrangements and then putting them together on the table.
The word domino has been in use since the mid-18th century, although it may have been known as a far earlier time. It is derived from the Latin dominium, meaning a pile or stack of objects, such as bricks or blocks. The word is also related to the Latin domino, meaning leader or master.
The term domino is sometimes used in a more general way to refer to any small object that can be laid down on its side, such as a piece of paper or wood. It may also be used to describe any of the various games that are played with such objects, by matching the ends of pieces and laying them down in lines or angular patterns.