Whether they’re lined up in long rows or used to play games like domino, many children enjoy playing with these black and white rectangular pieces. They may slam them together to knock over a sequence, or they may use them to block other players’ plays and score points in scoring games such as bergen and muggins.
A domino is the cornerstone of a chain reaction, and this simple concept is the foundation of many different games and activities. You might have played domino as a child, or you may even remember the popular Domino’s Pizza commercial that featured the company’s CEO going undercover to analyze their delivery service. In the commercial, the Domino’s CEO is sent to work at several restaurants and witness how their employees handle the hectic delivery schedule and response from customers. He notices that many of the deliveries are late, and the employees need to train more on how to be more punctual with their delivery times.
The individual domino pieces are normally twice as wide as they are tall. They feature a line down the middle that visually separates each end into two squares, and each square features a number of dots called pips, which range from six to none. Each domino is also marked with a value, which is indicated by the number of spots on each side of the piece. The most common domino set contains 28 unique pieces and is called a double-six set because the highest value is six spots on each end.
Dominoes are often made from bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony and are traditionally inlaid or painted with black or white pips. In addition to these traditional materials, domino sets have been produced in a variety of natural and synthetic substances. Some natural sets have a more rustic feel than their polymer counterparts, while others are designed to be more elegant and expensive.
In addition to the traditional blocking and scoring games, dominoes can be used to help teach children counting skills. Many of the games involve matching up the dominoes with their corresponding numbers, and this type of game helps improve the child’s ability to recognize patterns and order. Some domino sets are used to teach multiplication, as well.
Many popular domino shows have built up a reputation for their intricate and imaginative domino effects and reactions. They have a similar appeal to a magic show and attract large crowds at local events. Some of these shows feature domino builders who compete with each other to build the most complex and spectacular effect or row before a live audience of fans.
The term domino may also refer to a system of causal linkages within a larger whole, analogous to the chains of dominoes that form when one falls over another. In this sense, the word is not to be confused with the Domino effect (disambiguation). This article is based on an earlier version of this Wonder of the Day.