Domino is a game in which players take turns placing domino tiles on the table so that their ends touch each other and form a chain. Various games can be played with domino, but all involve the use of the matched sets of tiles to create a pattern or score points. The word domino is used to refer to the gaming piece itself as well as the game itself, although it has been suggested that it may have derived from an earlier sense of the term denoting a long hooded cloak worn with a mask during carnival season or at a masquerade.
The most common type of domino set is made from plastic or another similar rigid material and has a series of numbers printed on both sides. These numbers are known as pips and represent the number of spots on each side of the tile. The pips are usually colored black, white, or sometimes inlaid with another color (usually red) to distinguish one domino from the next. In addition to polymer dominoes, many different natural materials such as bone or silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) have been used to make sets. Sets in such materials are typically more expensive than those of polymer.
Some sets of domino tiles have a unique feature that makes them particularly suitable for creating patterns or scoring points. These are called doubles, and they can be placed on the edge of a line of regular dominoes to add extra value to that line. A double placed on top of a line of regular dominoes scores the sum total of all the exposed pips on both of its ends, while a double played to a regular domino scores the value of that specific tile.
A domino set can also be used to build structures or to create artwork. For example, some people arrange the tiles to create curved lines that form shapes when they fall, grids that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. Other people use dominoes to make abstract art. Some of these works of art are sold for a great deal of money, as are some domino sets that have been designed to look particularly striking when they are arranged together.
Another interesting way to use dominoes is to play them with your children or your students. For example, you can give your child a piece of paper and ask them to colour it with the domino tile colours. Then they can place each domino against the corresponding colour on the paper to make a trail. This is a fun way to teach your kids about the names of colours and how to match them.
Hevesh is a 20-year-old woman who has a huge following on YouTube for her amazing domino art projects. She has created massive domino installations for movies, TV shows, and events, including the Katy Perry album launch. Her largest domino projects can take several nail-biting minutes to fall, but once they do, the results are breathtaking.