Dominoes (also called bones, cards, men, or pieces) are flat rectangular blocks with a line in the middle to divide them visually into two squares, one bearing an arrangement of spots or pips and the other blank or identically patterned. They are used for playing games of position, where each domino is placed edge-to-edge against another so that their ends match. Each domino has a value, indicated by its arrangement of pips or dots; this is called the rank or weight. A domino that has more pips has a higher rank or weight than a domino with fewer pips, which is “lighter”.
There are many games that can be played using a set of dominoes. Some are blocking games, where a player cannot play until their opponent has done so, and others are scoring games in which points are accumulated as tiles fall. Layout games, in which a sequence of tiles is laid out in lines or angular patterns, are also popular. Most domino sets consist of 28 tiles, although larger ones exist to allow for more complex layouts and longer games.
The word domino is probably derived from the Latin dominus, meaning master of the house. The vocative form became dominuse and then dominie, which in turn became the English words domino and dominoes. The name was probably first applied to a type of monastic hood, later to a hooded mask worn at masquerades, and then to the domino tile itself.
A domino can be a metaphor for the way that a small setback in a person’s life can cause a chain reaction of problems, tripping legal and social dominoes that are not yet fully in place. For example, a student who misses a class could lose her scholarship, causing her to delay finishing school, which in turn can lead to financial problems that affect the rest of her family.
When a domino falls, it possesses potential energy, which is transferred to the next domino in line or pattern as it comes into contact with it. Once the energy has been transferred to the next domino, it becomes kinetic energy and moves the chain forward. The process continues until the last domino falls, and then it is over. The concept of the domino effect is used in business, where it refers to a situation that has a positive or negative influence on others. For instance, a company can create a culture of quality that influences its suppliers to deliver better products. This can then spread to customers and other companies, creating a virtuous circle. This is sometimes used as a marketing strategy. In contrast, a company that does not have a strong culture can find that its competitors are able to out-perform it. For this reason, some companies are focusing on developing their domino cultures. They believe that this will enable them to compete more effectively in the future. Domino’s Pizza is a good example of a company that has successfully implemented this approach.