Domino is a game played with small, rectangular blocks of rigid material such as bone or wood. The blocks are usually twice as long as they are wide and have a line in the middle to divide them visually into two squares, called ends. One of the ends is marked with a pattern of spots, or pips, that resemble those on a die, and the other is blank or identically patterned. The number of pips on each end determines the value of that end in a particular domino; a dominant with ebony blacks and ivory whites would be most valuable.
The game has become a popular activity in many cultures, and it has been used to teach children counting and addition. It also serves as a mental challenge and helps develop hand-eye coordination. The game is often accompanied by music, which adds to the enjoyment and creates an atmosphere of fun and competition. Dominoes can be found in toy stores and department stores, and they are sometimes displayed as art pieces in homes.
A domino can be a metaphor for many things. For example, a person who is unable to cope with problems may begin to feel overwhelmed and let things fall apart. A person who is able to face challenges head on and deal with them in a reasonable manner is likely to be much happier and healthier overall.
Dominos are most commonly used for positional games, in which a player places a domino edge to edge against an adjacent tile so that the touching ends match (one’s touch one’s, two’s touch two’s, etc.). The exposed ends of the dominoes are then counted, and if the total is a multiple of five, that player is awarded points.
Another aspect of a domino is that it can represent the way in which events or characters can influence each other and affect future decisions. For instance, a domino that falls in the wrong place can change the course of an entire story. For writers who use the panster method of writing, in which the writer does not prepare a detailed outline of the plot ahead of time, this image is especially meaningful.
In the workplace, a domino can be a symbol of leadership. A leader is someone who takes charge and makes good decisions. A good example of this is the show Undercover Boss. In this series, the CEO of Domino’s Pizza, Don Meij, sends his top executives to work at one of the restaurants and observe how the employees operate. This approach allows him to make quick changes that improve productivity.
Those who are a fan of domino might enjoy watching domino artists set up elaborate designs that then tumble and cascade down with the force of gravity. Watching these amazing displays can be very hypnotic and entertaining, as the designers work to overcome the limitations of physics to achieve impressive results. A woman named Hevesh has worked on projects involving more than 300,000 dominoes and has set the Guinness World Record for the most dominoes in a single, circular arrangement.