Dominoes are small building blocks that can be stacked on end in long lines. They are sometimes used for games like tic-tac-toe or backgammon, and they can also be arranged to create elaborate sculptures and structures such as towers or pyramids. Many domino enthusiasts also enjoy creating and displaying pieces of art using the tiles.
The earliest known set of dominoes dates from the 12th or 13th century, though they were likely developed from Chinese playing cards or similar objects. The modern version of the domino has its origins in the United States, where a company called Pressman Toys manufactured them from about 1895 to 1939.
Dominoes can be made out of a variety of materials, including polymers such as acrylic or PVC, wood (particularly ebony), marble, granite, and soapstone; metals such as brass or pewter; and ceramic clay. Some sets are designed to look and feel more substantial than others. The traditional European-style domino set is traditionally made of silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl, MOP), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting black or white pips.
Each domino has a unique identifying mark on one side, or face, and is blank or identically patterned on the other. Usually, each domino has an arrangement of spots or dots on one face that correspond to those on the number six die, with some squares left blank.
A domino with a full arrangement of dots, when played, initiates the process of placing other dominoes, forming chains that can eventually reach to all corners of the play surface and beyond. In games such as double-six, players take turns selecting and playing a domino from their hand until they play an “opening double” — the first domino to touch all open ends in a line of dominoes.
While many people enjoy playing domino, a much smaller group of enthusiasts takes the craft to an artistic level. Some artists design curved lines of dominoes that form intricate pictures when they fall, while others create intricately constructed stairways and 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. Dominoes are also commonly used as a component in Rube Goldberg machines.
Dominoes can also be used in narrative to illustrate a domino effect, a concept in which one event leads to much greater–and sometimes catastrophic–consequences. Plotting a novel or story can be difficult, but incorporating the idea of domino effects may help authors develop a more compelling story.
As kids learn to play domino, they also develop their fine motor skills by manipulating the small pieces and arranging them in precise locations. In addition, the spatial awareness and color recognition required for correctly positioning the tiles can strengthen their sense of orientation in space and their ability to distinguish colors. In a more sophisticated context, dominoes can be used to teach math and science concepts by demonstrating the principle of simple addition or subtraction. They can also be used to explore themes of physics and momentum, or even to make scientific models of chemical reactions.