When a domino falls, it converts some of its potential energy into kinetic energy. This energy is then transmitted to the next domino, providing it with a push that causes it to fall. This process is called the domino effect.
The domino effect is an important concept for writers to understand, as it can help you plot your story in a compelling way. This is especially true when you are writing a novel, where the main question often is, “What happens next?”
Dominoes (also known as bones, cards, men, pieces or tiles) come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common are square-shaped with two open ends. The value of each end is a number, and the total of these values is called the rank or weight of the tile.
A domino’s pips, or spots, vary in number from six to none or blank. They can be arranged in rows or columns and can be stacked or laid on top of each other. They can also be stacked vertically in the same row, creating a line of dominoes.
There are many different types of dominoes, and each one is unique in how they are used. These include European dominoes, Chinese dominoes, and Asian dominoes.
In a domino game, each player draws a certain number of dominoes from a collection, or boneyard, and shuffles them together on the table. After this, the player with the “heaviest” domino goes first.
Some games have different rules, but most are played with a set of 28 dominoes. These sets come in different colors and have different numbers of pips on each end, so they can be used for playing various kinds of domino games.
The first player plays a domino that shows a number on one of the ends, then the other players each play a tile that has a number showing on one of the ends or both. Then the players take turns placing dominoes on the table, forming a chain that gradually increases in length as the tiles are placed until all ends of the chain have been touched.
Once the chain is complete, a final domino is played to determine who wins that round. Depending on the rules, this may be done by the person who played the last domino or by the person who has the least number of pips on their remaining tiles.
Another popular version of dominoes is a draw game where the first tile is played in order to create a doublet, and the next four tiles are played against this doublet in order to form a cross. The next tile is then played in order to complete the cross, and so on.
Several variations of the draw game exist, and some have a specific starting position for each player, while others allow the players to choose their start position at any point during the game. In all versions of the draw game, the holder of the “heaviest” domino takes the first move.
