Dominoes are small, rectangular blocks marked with two groups of spots on one side. They’re used for playing many different games.
The most common domino set commercially available is double six (with 28 tiles) and double nine (with 55 tiles). Larger sets exist.
In the United States, dominoes are primarily played as block-and-draw games for two to four players. The game is played by shuffling the pieces face down on a table and drawing randomly for each player’s turn. The heaviest domino in the hand wins the game, and all the other pieces are kept for the next round.
Some other types of domino play include positional games, where each player places a domino edge to edge against another in such a way that the adjacent faces are identical or form some specified total. A scoring version of this game is called 5s-and-3s, where the objective is to attach a domino from one hand to one end of those already played in such a way that the sum of the ends is divisible by five or three.
If you’ve ever stacked up dominoes to make an interesting shape, you know that there are plenty of different designs possible. You can make a straight line, or you can create a pyramid, or you can even make a tower.
It’s this variation that makes dominoes so fascinating. It’s also the basis of a physics phenomenon called the domino effect, which occurs when a single force can cause what may seem like a gradual change to topple into a much larger, more radical change.
The domino effect can occur in almost any field a one-after-the-other topple causes an unnoticeable change, but when it happens repeatedly, the change can be incredibly drastic.
There are several factors that contribute to the domino effect, and one of them is gravity. Standing a domino upright gives it potential energy, which is stored in its position. When it falls, however, the potential energy changes to kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion.
This change of energy causes a chain reaction that results in dominoes to topple, one after the other. The kinetic energy is then transmitted to the next domino, which gives it the push to fall.
The domino effect is a great example of one of the principles in the book Influencing: How to Persuade People by Robert Cialdini: commit and stick with something. When people make a commitment to something, it’s easier for them to keep it, because they see it as aligned with their self-image.
When you’re deciding to start a new project or change your career path, it’s important to consider what kind of impact the action will have on the larger picture. This will help you decide whether it’s worth doing.
In addition to considering the larger picture, it’s also a good idea to think about how your actions will affect others. This can give you a better sense of the impact you’re making and will allow you to make changes to your approach to achieve a more positive result.