A domino is a small rectangular wooden or plastic block that has either a blank face or a number of dots in rows, similar to those on a die. It’s also known as a dominoe, though most people use the term to refer specifically to the game of dominoes, which involves placing domino pieces down on a flat surface and then knocking them over in a chain reaction.
A large part of the fun in domino games comes from the way that the tiles can be arranged to create chains and patterns. Each domino has two matching ends, called spots, that must touch for the chain to form. Depending on how the pieces are placed, the resulting chains can be straight or curved, zigzagged or spiraling. The number of dominos in a set determines the type of game, as some require fewer dominoes than others.
The word domino derives from the Latin dominus, which means “lord” or “master.” The game itself reflects a sense of order and control, and its ties to blocking encourage a cautious rule-following style. The gender-neutral name Domino also suggests a masterful leader who keeps an eye on advantageous opportunities and is always thinking two moves ahead.
When a person or group of people take advantage of an opportunity, it can lead to a series of events that results in positive change. A group of people who decide to buy a certain product might spur a whole chain of retailers to sell it, for example. The process is called a domino effect, and it can have both good and bad effects.
Lily Hevesh started playing with dominoes when she was 9 years old, and she remembers enjoying a typical 28-piece set her grandparents gave her. Since then, she’s built a career creating mind-blowing domino installations, and her work has appeared in museums around the world. She’s also collaborated with scientists to test theories about how and why the pieces fall the way they do.
Hevesh’s designs follow a version of the engineering-design process, in which she tests each element of an installation before putting it together. This allows her to make corrections quickly if something doesn’t work as planned. She usually starts with the biggest 3-D sections, then adds flat arrangements, and finally, lines of dominoes that connect all the pieces together.
As a physicist, Hevesh is interested in how different forces affect the way dominoes fall. One key force is gravity, which is why most dominoes are arranged so that they all stand upright. This arrangement gives them potential energy, or stored energy based on their position. When a domino falls, most of this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, which provides the push needed for the next domino to knock it over.
Hevesh is also interested in how the domino effect can apply to social and political issues. For example, she has worked with activists to address the domino effect of climate change, which can be seen in things like population growth and poverty. She has also partnered with scholars to study how the domino effect applies to leadership and management. They have found that leaders who have a high level of competence may be able to weather more storms, but that does not guarantee success.
