Dominoes are rectangular pieces of wood or plastic that have a line in the middle to divide them visually into two squares, each with an arrangement of dots or pips on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. They are usually twice as long as they are wide and can be stacked side to side. Each domino has a specific value determined by the number of pips on its face; this is called the rank. The rank of a particular domino can be changed by moving or changing its position in the line of play, or by switching the player to another tile with the same rank.
In a game of domino, each player draws a set number of tiles specified in the rules of the domino game being played. Each player then places a tile on the table, positioning it so that the other players can’t see the pips on its back. The next player then plays a tile to the left of the first player’s tile, and so on, until a chain is formed. If the player’s tile has a match with the next tile (called a “double” in most games), it is joined to that end of the line, and the count continues.
A plethora of different domino games exist, and they all have very similar or even identical rules. There are also many different names for these games, and their rules vary from place to place. The most popular domino games fit into four categories: bidding games, blocking games, scoring games, and round games.
When a domino is knocked over, its potential energy converts to kinetic energy, and that energy moves from the one domino to the others in the chain. This process continues until all of the dominoes have fallen, completing the chain.
Lily Hevesh is an engineer who creates mind-blowing domino installations for special events and for her own enjoyment. To prepare her projects, she uses fractions to help determine how many dominoes are needed and how they’ll be arranged. She can even use fractions to calculate how far apart each domino must be to prevent an accidental toppling from happening.
Hevesh also takes the heaviest domino into consideration when determining which tile begins play in a game. For example, in the game “Snake,” if no player holds a double tile, whoever has the heaviest single can begin play. In some cases, the winner of the last game played may also open the next game.
In addition to the common blocking and scoring domino games, a variety of other games can be played with this system, including solitaire and trick-taking games. Many of these are adaptations of card games and were used to circumvent religious prohibitions against playing cards. The value of a domino in the game depends on how many pips are displayed on the dominant and the matching doubles. A domino with a high number of pips may be referred to as a spinner, and the heaviest double in a game is often called a stitcher.