A domino is a piece of rectangular cardboard or hard material with an arrangement of spots, or “pips,” on one face. This arrangement of pips is usually used to represent numbers; for example, a domino may have 3, 5, or 7, as shown in the picture below. Unlike playing cards, which are also multi-purpose gaming devices, a domino set is designed to be used for specific games.
Most of the time, dominoes are used for positional games where each player in turn places a tile on the table so that its end shows either the same number as another tile (a chain is thus formed) or an integer which forms part of some specified total. Depending on the game, the players must then arrange adjacent tiles so that their ends touch and thus form a longer or shorter domino chain. This process is called “stitching up” the ends.
Dominoes can be played with two, three, or four players. Each player starts with seven or more dominoes, although a single person can play with a smaller number of tiles, namely five or four. A single player will start with the highest numbered domino, which is known as an “opening double.” This double can be played first, or the next heaviest domino in the hand is then played, and so on.
Each domino has a number of pips on one face, and a blank or identically patterned side. The pips are normally represented by dots, but some sets use Arabic numerals or other symbols. Most dominoes are also marked with an arrangement of spaces or arrows, which indicate the direction in which a piece must be placed. The arrows point toward the left for the smallest pieces, and toward the right for larger ones.
The word domino is derived from the Latin dominus, meaning master of the house. The earliest uses of the word in English were for monastic hoods, then for a type of mask worn at masquerade balls. Later, it was applied to a schoolmaster and finally, to the game of domino. The latter application is probably due to the fact that a domino is a very effective teaching device because of its simple, direct nature.
When a domino hits its tipping point, it converts much of its potential energy to kinetic energy, or the energy of motion. This kinetic energy then passes to the next domino, giving it the push needed to fall over as well. This is the same principle that Hevesh applies when she creates her mind-blowing domino setups. Whether you’re writing an outline or just putting together an impromptu story, understanding the domino effect can help you plot your book effectively. When you think of your plot in terms of a domino cascade, you can see how each scene must connect with the rest to keep the reader engaged and happy with the story.