A flat, thumbsized rectangular block of wood or plastic with one side blank and the other marked with an arrangement of dots resembling those on dice. A domino, or set of dominoes, consists of 28 such blocks and can be used to play various games. The word is also a verb meaning to place or knock over a domino, or a group of dominoes.

Dominoes can be arranged in a variety of shapes and patterns to make interesting structures. In addition to being fun to play, the game can teach kids about geometry and patterns.

While the word domino may seem simple, it has many complexities. It is important to understand the rules and strategies for each game before playing. Using this knowledge can improve your enjoyment of the games and make them more challenging for opponents.

One rule that is important to understand is the concept of a domino effect. This concept states that if one event occurs in a system, the effects of that event will continue to occur until the system is brought back into balance. This is true for both physical and social systems, such as a company’s performance or an individual’s personal life.

For example, if a business’s profits decline, this may cause employees to become unhappy and leave the company. This in turn could lead to customers leaving, which would cause the company’s profits to continue to decline until it was no longer profitable. This cycle can be averted by keeping the company’s profitability in mind when making decisions and ensuring that the company remains profitable.

The game of domino can be played with any number of players and is an excellent way to relax with friends or family. Some games involve scoring, such as bergen and muggins, while others simply have the players try to empty their hands while blocking opponents’ play. Many domino games also help children learn numbers and counting skills.

A large part of the fun in domino comes from the way that the tiles are placed together to form chains of dominoes. Each tile must be matched to another in such a way that the two matching ends touch each other completely. If the tile being played is a double, this must be done in such a way that it touches the end of the chain on which it will be played. This creates a snake-like pattern that develops as the chain is played.

When a player places a domino, it should be played so that the next tile will fall into the space occupied by that tile. This is because each domino has potential energy based on its position, which will be converted to kinetic energy as the domino falls over. For this reason, it is a good idea to think ahead when placing dominoes. This can prevent problems with tangential pieces or pieces that may not be the right size for the space in which they are being played.