A domino is a small, rectangular tile with one or more dots on each face. The dots are typically printed in a standard pattern, such as a circle and three overlapping triangles, but other patterns have been used. The pips can be painted or inlaid, and some sets have a metal pin (called a spinner or pivot) to add an extra dimension of play. Some sets are made from natural materials such as wood, bone or marble; others are plastic and polymer. Many people enjoy playing domino as a leisure activity, and the game has been featured in television shows and movies.
Dominoes are most commonly used to play positional games, where each player places a domino edge-to-edge against another in order to form some specified total or set of rules. There are also scoring games where each player takes turns putting down tiles in order to build chains of spots or numbers, and there are even some arithmetic-based games in which players place tiles based on the arithmetic properties of their pips.
The most popular type of domino set is a double-six set, with 28 tiles. Larger sets exist for use in games with more than one player or for players interested in long domino chains. Each domino has a number, usually between 1 and 10, on both its front and back faces, which correspond to the spots that appear when you throw two six-sided dice. A domino may have one or more blank sides, which are known as wilds. The blank side of a domino can only be matched with a tile that has the same number of matching pips on both its front and back, and some players choose to make their blanks “wild” so they can ascribe any value to them.
As the popularity of domino has increased, so too have attempts to build impressive tracks of falling dominoes. Artists can create curved lines, grids that form pictures when the dominoes are arranged correctly, and even 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. Dominoes have inertia, so they tend to resist movement unless some outside force is applied to them. However, a tiny nudge can be enough to push the first domino past its tipping point, so that it begins to fall.
Dominos has been able to use this effect to its advantage in marketing its brand, as demonstrated by the popular show Undercover Boss. In this program, the CEO of Dominos, Don Meij, sends his staff to work at several locations and analyzes their operations. He learns a lot about how his employees are handling the company’s business and if they are delivering on their promises to customers.
The term domino has been used in both English and French for centuries. Its origin is obscure, but it may be related to the Italian domanda or the French domino, both of which denoted a hooded cloak worn with a mask during carnival season or at a masquerade. The word may also be derived from the Latin domini, which refers to a long cape worn by a priest over his surplice.