A domino is a small, oblong piece of material that is marked with a pattern of dots, called pips, on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. It is used to play games of chance and skill in which players try to arrange the tiles in a line so that their values match those of other dominoes already in the line.
The most common domino game involves two players. A 28-piece double-six set is typically used; the remainder of the tiles form a boneyard or stock, from which players draw seven dominoes at a time. The first player begins by placing a domino edge-to-edge against the end of another domino in the line, which must be either matching or higher in value than the starting domino. If the second player has a matching domino, they place it at the end of the line; if not, they must draw from the boneyard until they have a domino with a value that matches or exceeds that of the starting domino.
Dominos can be stacked on end in long lines, and very complex designs can be made by doing so. If the first domino in a line is tipped over, it causes the next domino in the row to tip over and so on. This is the basis for the phrase “domino effect,” which refers to something that starts off small but ultimately leads to larger and sometimes catastrophic consequences.
When a domino falls, it converts potential energy into kinetic energy, or energy of motion (see the physics article Converting Energy). Some of this energy travels to the next domino, providing the push needed to knock it over. This continues from domino to domino, until all of them are overturned.
Hevesh, who has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers on her channel Hevesh5, is a professional domino artist who creates spectacular setups for movies, TV shows, and events, including an album launch for pop star Katy Perry. Her work is so impressive that she’s even been invited to perform a Domino Art performance at the White House for President Obama and other dignitaries.
To make her mind-blowing creations, Hevesh follows a version of the engineering-design process. She begins by considering the theme or purpose of an installation and brainstorming images or words she might want to use in the design. Then, she considers how the pieces will be used to construct the overall layout. After that, she sketches the layout on paper and then builds it using cardboard and a domino base. Once she has a prototype, she tests it to ensure that all the pieces fit together and will function correctly. If the test is successful, Hevesh moves on to her next project. Then, she repeats the process for each of her masterpieces. This is how Hevesh can spend weeks, or even months, creating an intricate domino set. Then, she shares the results of her labors with her online audience.