Domino is a type of tile that can be arranged to form a pattern, line up in long rows or to play games. Children often like to stack them up and then knock them down. Some people also use dominoes to create art or acrobatics. You may have seen videos of long chains of dominoes toppling away till the last one reveals a beautiful piece of artwork or a portrait.

A set of dominoes typically contains 28 pieces. In addition to traditional dominoes made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) or ivory with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted on them, there are many other types of natural and synthetic materials used to make dominoes. These include stone (e.g., marble or soapstone); other woods (e.g., ash, oak or cedar); metals such as brass or pewter; ceramic clay; and glass (e.g., frosted or clear).

While many of us know that the term domino means “fall down,” few are aware of the origins of the word and the game. Domino was originally a word that described a long, hooded cloak worn in conjunction with a mask at carnival season or at a masquerade. It later came to be used as a name for a game that was popular in the 18th century.

Domino is an excellent example of the “domino effect.” This refers to a sequence of events that starts with one small action and then leads to bigger-and sometimes catastrophic-consequences. In writing, the domino effect can be used to help readers understand why a character behaves the way they do in a scene, especially when it runs counter to societal norms.

In a typical domino game, the first player places a domino edge-to-edge against another domino, either matching it in color or forming a total amount of pips. Then, in turn, the other players place their dominoes against each other in the same fashion. The person who has the most dominoes left behind after all of the other players have finished playing is declared the winner of the game.

When Hevesh creates her mind-blowing domino setups, she follows a version of the engineering-design process. She begins by considering the theme or purpose of the design. Next, she brainstorms images or words that relate to the theme. Finally, she considers the structure of her design and determines how many dominoes she will need. As the first domino falls, it converts much of its potential energy to kinetic energy—the energy of motion—and transmits some of that energy to the next domino, providing the push needed for it to fall as well. This process continues until all of the dominoes have fallen. This process is similar to how business processes work in an organization. This process is referred to as the “domino effect” and it can help managers keep their business processes running smoothly.