Domino, like dice and cards, is a generic gaming object that can be used in a wide variety of games. Dominoes are small rectangular blocks made of rigid material such as wood, bone or plastic. Each block is marked on one side with dots resembling those on dice, and may also be labeled with the number of pips or a symbol such as a crown. In addition to the familiar blocking and scoring games, a number of solitaire domino-like games are also played with domino sets.
A domino game can be as simple or complicated as the player makes it. The most basic game involves two players, each with a double-six set of dominoes. The dominoes are arranged face down to form a stock or “boneyard,” from which the players draw seven tiles. The first player plays any domino they have in their hand, then passes the remaining tiles to the other player. The second player then chooses any tile in the stock, and if it has a value divisible by five or three, points are scored. The process continues until either one player has all the dominoes in their hand or neither player can play anymore.
The game is also popular as an art form, and many people have used dominoes to create intricate and beautiful works of art. Artists can create straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when the dominoes fall and even 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. The underlying theme of domino art is the idea that one small action can lead to much larger consequences, as in the saying “the first domino was a little shaky, but then it just fell.”
When creating a piece of domino art, the artist must carefully consider how the pieces will fit together and what impact they will have when they are toppled. For example, when creating a domino track for cars or trains, the artist must ensure that the tracks will be able to accommodate the weight of the vehicle and that each track will not have too few or too many dominoes. A successful artist must also plan how to create arrows that indicate the way the dominoes should be positioned on the track.
Hevesh, a domino artist with more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, uses a version of the engineering-design process to create her mind-blowing installations. First, she tests out the individual sections of her designs by stacking them and filming them in slow motion. She then refines her designs, focusing on the biggest 3-D sections first. After that, she adds flat arrangements and then the lines of dominoes that connect all the different parts.
Just as a single domino can cause a whole line to fall, some learning challenges can have a big impact on students. For example, compensating for a weakness in a subject by taking shortcuts can prevent students from developing the foundational skills they need to be successful learners. The end result can be that students become overwhelmed and are unable to learn.