The Many Uses of Dominoes
Dominoes are small rectangular blocks that can be arranged in long lines and then knocked over. Stacking dominoes on end can create complex designs, and a line of dominoes can be used to make a ‘rainbow spiral’. Dominoes are often used to teach children the principles of addition and subtraction, but they also have a wide variety of other uses. People can use dominoes to play games, build models, and create art. The word “domino” is also a common phrase that describes an action that has much greater consequences than it appears to have at first glance.
A person who writes a novel may use the concept of domino to help plot the story. Each scene can be thought of as a domino that falls, affecting the scene after it. Using this strategy, the writer can be sure that each scene will logically follow the one before it.
Unlike some other table games, dominoes are not played in pairs. There are many different games, but most are played by a single player, although there are some games where the number of players changes the rules. In some games, the player must match the pips on both ends of a domino with those on the next tile to play. This arrangement is called a line of play.
The game rules for the various domino games vary, but in most games a player begins by drawing a domino from the stock. Depending on the game, the player will then add that domino to their hand or play it. Some games require a certain number of dominoes to be played before a player scores. This score is usually counted by the number of times that the end of the current set of dominoes can be divided by five or three.
Dominoes can be made of wood, plastic, or any rigid material. The individual pieces are numbered on the face, and can have either a blank surface or pips that look like those on dice. A set of dominoes usually consists of 28 pieces, but larger sets are available. They are also referred to as bones, tiles, chips, or stones.
Regardless of whether they are playing domino or just watching, children and adults alike enjoy the sight of a carefully arranged line of dominoes falling over with a nudge from one. Dominoes are also the basis for a popular television show in which skilled builders compete to create amazing and creative domino effects and reactions in front of a live audience. Some builders even make a living by building intricate, multicolored, and massive displays of dominoes.