Playing dominoes can be an engaging pastime, often lining them up into long rows before knocking them over one by one. Why are these black and white rectangles such an enjoyable game to use? Our Wonder of the Day comes from Juan.
Dominoes are small rectangular blocks – usually 28 in number – used for playing games of chance or skill. Commonly referred to as bones, cards, tiles, stones and spinners, dominoes feature one side with dots called “pips,” similar to dice. On its reverse is either blank or identically patterned surfaces; most dominoes will contain colored pips; however certain sets may contain sole black or sole white dots on one or all dominoes.
A domino is a block of material like bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl), ivory or wood (usually ebony) with black and white dots inlaid into its surface to resemble dice. They may also be made out of ceramic clay or plastics; traditional European domino sets have traditionally been constructed out of these materials but more contemporary versions may also include marble or granite dominoes; soapstone pieces; or metals like brass or pewter as the substrate material.
The word domino derives from Latin dominus, meaning master, and domina, which refers to rules or authorities. Originally it denoted an elaborate long, hooded cloak worn with mask over priest surplice at masquerade parties.
Auguste Denis of France made dominoes that differed significantly from what were then commonly available throughout Europe in terms of style and material. His designs allowed players to form lines of dominoes that could be turned over easily to score points in various games; his domino set quickly became immensely popular, becoming an activity widely practiced at schools, libraries and recreational centers today.
Many dominoes exhibit inertia, or the tendency to resist movement unless an outside force is applied, but even a slight push can break their inertia and allow potential energy stored by one domino to transfer onto another domino, continuing this chain reaction process until all dominoes have fallen and chain reaction has ended.
Writing stories requires keeping in mind the domino effect, which draws readers in by moving logically from scene to scene. Each scene added should have an immediate and noticeable effect on other scenes as well as overall story development – this makes a truly effective domino effect.