Dominoes are a type of tile that has an arrangement of spots, or pips, on one side and is blank or identically patterned on the other. A domino is normally twice as long as wide, making it easy to re-stack it after playing. It is sometimes called a bone, card, or men, although domino is the most common name. Dominoes, which are cousins of playing cards, offer an endless variety of games and tests of skill and patience.
Dominos were first developed in China in the 1300s, and are among the oldest tools for game play. They were later introduced in Europe and North America. Dominos are typically played by a group of people. A game can be as simple or complicated as the players choose, and the outcome of a game depends on many factors, including the luck and skill of the players and the rules of the game.
The most common domino sets consist of 28 tiles, known as double six and double nine. Larger sets are available, but they are usually used for games involving multiple players or for players who want to play long domino games. A domino is divided visually into two squares, or ends, with the number of pips on each end determining its value in a particular game. Each domino also has a line in the middle that divides it into two parts, and each part is a different color or numbered to distinguish one side from the other. A domino that is all white is usually considered to be the most valuable, followed by a domino that is all black.
In addition to being used for domino games, a domino can be used as art. Depending on the artist, domino art can be as simple as straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. Creating a domino art requires precise planning and careful execution. The artist often makes a test version of each section before putting the whole piece together. The artist will usually make arrows on the paper showing the way that the dominoes will fall, and then will plan how to connect each section.
As the pieces are arranged, they must be spaced correctly. If a domino is too close to another, it will cause the other domino to fall over. In stories, a scene domino can be anything that advances the hero toward or farther from their goal, and the writer must ensure that each scene domino is paced properly so that the cascade of scenes flows smoothly and naturally.
In business, Domino’s Pizza was founded in Ypsilanti, Michigan, by David Monaghan in 1967. He emphasized the importance of placing Domino’s pizzerias near colleges, where customers are most likely to be looking for quick and convenient food. This strategy helped him grow his company from a small family business to an international chain of more than 200 locations.
