What is Domino?
Domino is the name of a type of game that involves arranging and stacking numbered dominoes in a line or a shape. Normally, each domino has a number of dots on one side and is blank on the other. The dominoes are usually twice as long as they are wide. The number of dots on each side is called its value. Each domino can be matched with another domino that has the same number of dots, or with a blank domino that is identically patterned on both sides. Matching is called “laying” or “smacking down” a domino, and it is a key part of the game.
Dominoes can be used in a variety of games, including block and scoring. They can be used to build structures or create patterns, and they are often used in artwork, as well. For example, a famous artwork is a mural by artist David Hockney that features hundreds of dominoes arranged in the shape of people. He created the painting in 1969, and it is now held by the Tate Modern in London.
In writing, the concept of domino is often used to describe scenes in a story that affect one another in a chain-like pattern. For instance, if a character discovers a clue in a murder case and then shows that information to the other characters, the other characters might react to that discovery by taking action. The reaction might involve laying more pieces on the scene domino, leading up to the resolution of the plot.
When the word domino is used to refer to a political event, it can mean a cascade of events that results in something major happening. For example, when President Eisenhower reaffirmed support for Ngo Dinh Diem’s government in South Vietnam in 1961, it set off a series of events that culminated with the U.S. withdrawal from the country in 1975.
A professional domino artist known as Hevesh creates amazing displays that use dozens of thousands of dominoes. She has a popular YouTube channel where she posts videos of her creations, and she has worked on projects for movies, TV shows, and even music albums.
Hevesh works on her projects in sections, and she often tests each section before assembling the entire installation. This allows her to make precise corrections in the construction and to ensure that each piece of the display will fall properly. Some of her larger installations can take several nail-biting minutes to finish falling.
In addition to block and score games, domino can be used to play solitaire or trick-taking games. These types of games are similar to those played with cards, although dominoes have the advantage of being able to be stacked in multiple layers. They are also more portable than traditional board games. Most of these games are based on the principle that each domino has an identity-bearing side and a blank or identically patterned side. The identifying side is normally marked with an arrangement of dots, called pips, which vary in value from six to zero.