Dominoes are small rectangular blocks with a number of spots or dots. They are used for a variety of games and can be set up to form shapes and designs. People who create domino art are known as domino artists. They can design intricate patterns that are a pleasure to watch as they fall. Some of these patterns are straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, or 3D structures like pyramids and towers. They can also make a design that is just one piece of a larger structure, such as an entire room or a house.
When a domino is played on the table, its matching end must touch another adjacent tile to become active. Once this occurs, play continues in the same way as in a draw game. In addition, a domino may only be played to a double with matching numbers on its two ends. This makes it a good idea to make sure that each player has a full set of matching tiles available before beginning the game.
In a game of domino, players try to make chains of dominoes that lead to the “knockout” of all the other players. The first player to reach this point wins the game. Dominoes can also be used to form a pattern, a shape, or a design on the floor, or they can be arranged to look like a landscape. In some cases, dominoes are even placed on the ground to recreate the effect of a natural disaster or event, such as a fire or an earthquake.
Some domino sets are made of different materials, such as stone (e.g., marble, granite or soapstone); other types of woods (e.g., ebony); metals (e.g., brass or pewter); ceramic clay; and even glass or crystal. They can also be painted or decorated in a wide variety of styles and colors. Some are made with a mixture of different types of material to give them a more unique look.
While it is possible to play a variety of domino games, most involve emptying one’s hand and blocking opponents’ play. Some games, such as bergen and muggins, determine points by counting the pips in the losing players’ hands. Others are purely defensive games, such as matador and chicken foot, and still others duplicate card games.
Hevesh has created some mind-blowing domino setups, including a circular arrangement of more than 300,000 dominoes. Some of her largest displays take several nail-biting minutes to fall. But she has discovered that one physical phenomenon is essential to a successful domino installation: gravity.
As a domino falls, its potential energy turns into kinetic energy that pushes the next domino in the chain over. This energy is transmitted from domino to domino until the last domino falls, causing a chain reaction that can be very dramatic. Hevesh has found that using the principles of physics helps her to plan and create her masterpieces. Before a final installation goes up, she tests sections of the setup to make sure they work individually.