The Domino Effect
Domino is a set of square tiles that can be used to play a variety of games. Each domino features a line down the middle, dividing it visually into two squares. Each end may have a number of spots—called pips—or be blank. Traditional sets contain 28 tiles, although larger ones are available for players who want to play longer domino games.
Lily Hevesh began playing with dominoes when she was 9 years old, using her grandparents’ classic 28-tile set. She loved setting them up in straight or curved lines, flicking the first one and watching the rest fall. Now, at 20, she’s a professional domino artist who creates mind-blowing setups for movies, TV shows and events—including the album launch of pop star Katy Perry.
When she creates her stunning designs, Hevesh uses the laws of physics to guide her. For example, gravity pulls a falling domino toward Earth, causing it to crash into the next domino and start a chain reaction. The force of friction created by the pips on the top and bottom of each tile also plays an important role. In addition, Hevesh considers the mass of each domino and its location on the surface she’s working on.
Hevesh’s creations often take several nail-biting minutes to finish. But she’s careful to time each step to perfection. During that time, her dominoes are undergoing a transformation: The potential energy in the unmoving dominoes converts to kinetic energy and allows the domino to push on the next piece. This process continues until the entire dominoes chain falls.
While Hevesh’s domino art is amazing, it’s not the only way to use the game’s principles. Dominoes can be used to make patterns, decorate surfaces and even build 3D structures. Dominoes can be made into a grid that forms pictures when they fall, or they can be used to build walls and castles. You can even create a domino track to power your own train.
Another example of the domino effect is the chain of events that led to the Vietnam War. During a press conference, President Eisenhower explained America’s decision to help the South Vietnamese government by describing how a small action could trigger a series of events that spread from one country to another like a domino effect. The phrase stuck, and today we use it to refer to any situation where one event causes a series of related events that continue to unfold.
While domino is an excellent tool for learning how to make simple shapes, it’s also an outstanding way to teach children the importance of planning ahead and thinking about the consequences of their actions. It’s also a fun way to reinforce math concepts, such as counting and adding pips. Domino is an ideal learning tool for kids of all ages, including adults. It is suitable for students in primary and secondary school, and it can be a valuable complement to other classroom activities, such as art, music, and science.