A domino is a small, flat, rectangular block used as a gaming object. Dominoes are a game of chance or strategy in which the player places one domino edge to edge against another, either identical or numbered, so that when it falls it triggers a chain reaction that causes all the others to fall. The numbering system is the same as a die; each domino has one or more squares that display an arrangement of dots, or pips, similar to those on a die. The pips are often in the shape of circles or rectangles, but the shapes of each domino vary from set to set. Some types of dominoes are designed to be shaped into unique forms, while others are arranged in long rows or columns and used for positional games.
Many games are played with dominoes, and some of them are adaptations of card games or other types of games that were once popular in some areas because they circumvented religious prohibitions against playing cards. One of the most familiar domino games is a variant of Concentration, in which players try to match groups of three or more identical tiles. Other games are designed to be played in groups or pairs, and still others are purely chance-based.
The earliest known domino sets were probably introduced to Europe in the mid-18th century, and they were likely brought into England by French prisoners of war. The word “domino” derives from the Latin domini, which means “lord, master.” The game of domino has become an international craze, and its popularity is increasing with new technological advances. For example, a pizza company named Domino’s has begun to allow customers to order and pay for their meals by texting an emoji or using devices such as Amazon Echo.
In writing, the domino effect can help a writer see how a sequence of scenes in a story will logically connect to each other, like the pieces of a large domino chain. The idea is to lay out the key action for each scene in a way that shows how they will affect the next scene. It is a good idea to check the scenes carefully to make sure that they do indeed logically flow from one to the next, and that any scenes that run against what a reader thinks is logical are made logical by the logic of the story or by giving the reader permission to give up on the unruly scene.
When building a domino display, Hevesh builds each section separately and tests it before putting it together. This lets her see whether the piece is working properly, and she can make corrections before putting in the bigger 3-D sections. This testing also helps her refine the designs, so they will work the best when the whole display is completed. This process is a lot like the way that a writer should test and revise their work.