Dominoes are rectangular blocks of a material such as ivory, bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), or dark hardwoods like ebony with an arrangement of black and white dots, called pips, on one side. Each domino has an open end that fits into the closed end of another to form a line. As players match and play their dominoes, this line of tiles is called the line of play. When more than one player is playing, the dominoes are arranged on a table in a configuration called a string or layout.
The order in which the players make their plays is called the order of play. In many games, a domino that has a double is played first. If there is a tie, it is broken by drawing new dominoes from the stock. The winner of the draw is seated to the right of the next player, who then seats himself to his left. The players who remain unseated are then known as the losers.
Typically, the winners are the players whose combined total of the pips on their remaining tiles is the least. However, some games allow players to “chip out” of the game at a point in which no player can proceed. In this case, the winners are the partners whose combined total of the pips is the lowest.
Some people use dominoes to make artistic patterns. Others use them to challenge their friends and family in a game of skill. A domino set may also be used to teach children how to count and to develop motor skills. While most domino sets are made from polymer materials, such as plastic, wood, or resin, some are made of other natural materials, including stone, a variety of hardwoods, metals, and glass. Some of these sets have a more traditional look and feel, and their weight feels heavier than that of polymer sets.
For those who enjoy creating mind-blowing domino setups, it’s essential to understand the laws of physics. Hevesh says that a domino’s potential energy converts to kinetic energy as it falls, which pushes the next domino over and sets off a chain reaction. Hevesh’s largest setups take several nail-biting minutes to complete, and even then the dominoes must fall according to gravity, not her own force.
Companies can learn a lot from how the game of domino works. For example, a company can lose its way if it doesn’t listen to its customers. In 2004, Domino’s Pizza was nearly bankrupt. The CEO at the time, David Brandon, heard the cries of Domino’s employees and quickly implemented changes. He relaxed the dress code, introduced more leadership training, and began speaking directly with Domino’s workers to see what they needed from the company. As a result, the company was able to turn things around and is now one of the top workplaces in the Detroit Free Press. Other businesses can follow Domino’s lead by focusing on their core values, such as championing their customers.