Dominoes

Domino’s is a popular chain of pizza restaurants that offers quick delivery. The company is based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and was founded by David Brandon Monaghan in 1967. Monaghan positioned his first pizzeria near college campuses to appeal to students who might want pizza quickly. The strategy paid off and the company rapidly grew.

In addition to delivering pizza, Domino’s now provides food delivery and other services in a wide variety of markets. It also sells a range of domino products, such as games and accessories, and operates several online stores. Domino’s is a publicly traded company that is part of the S&P 500.

The word “domino” derives from the Latin domini, meaning ‘large’ or ‘rule’. A domino is a flat, thumb-sized rectangular block with a line down the center that divides it visually into two squares. Each end bears a number of spots, or pips, from one to six. A complete set of dominoes consists of 28 such tiles. Dominoes are similar to dice or playing cards in that they can be used for a multitude of games.

Traditional dominoes are made of wood, although they have been produced in many other materials, including bone (usually silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell or mother-of-pearl), ivory and a dark hardwood such as ebony with contrasting black or white pips. Some sets use more readable Arabic numerals instead of pips. Some sets are also produced with a combination of these materials and colors, giving them a more novel look.

Most domino games involve players scoring points by laying the tiles end to end, with matching ends touching (e.g., a double-six domino and a double-nine). Each tile is then counted for its value. Some games are purely blocking games, wherein the goal is to prevent opponents from scoring points; such games include matador, Mexican train and bergen.

Dominoes are also popular among children for their simple, easy-to-learn rules and innate educational value. They can help develop visual recognition and counting skills, as well as motor and cognitive skills. They can also introduce basic arithmetic and problem-solving skills.

Creating an intricate domino layout takes time and patience, and some of the largest installations can take several nail-biting minutes to fall. But Hevesh says that one physical phenomenon is the key to her work: gravity. Each domino has a high center of gravity, and it doesn’t take much to tip them forward enough to reach their all-important point of impact with the ground.

A domino effect can be a powerful tool in storytelling. However, authors should be careful not to overuse the domino effect, as this can cause their stories to become predictable or cliché. Moreover, the domino effect should be used only when it is necessary for the story’s logic. For example, if the hero of a story does something immoral or out of character, it’s important to show readers the logic behind that action, so they can decide whether to continue rooting for the hero or turn away from the story.