Dominoes are an entertaining and educational game for children, teens and adults. They are also an effective teaching tool to teach math skills and vocabulary words. A domino set consists of tiles with numbers from one to twenty-two printed on each end, and can be used to play many different games. These games may include scoring or simply creating a line of dominoes that will then be knocked over. A domino set can be made from wood, plastic, ceramic clay or other materials. Some traditional sets are made from natural materials, such as bone or ivory with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted on them.
The most basic domino set consists of 28 tiles, called the double-six set. When playing with two players, these tiles are shuffled and form a large pile, which is called the stock or boneyard. Each player draws the number of tiles permitted by the rules of the particular game. These tiles are then placed face up in front of the player, in such a way that the other players cannot see their pips. As each player plays a tile, it is added to the line of play. This line, which is sometimes referred to as a layout, string or line of play, may be lengthwise (crosswise with doubles), or it may run along the same axis as the matching number on the domino played.
During the game, each player may have to draw more tiles for his hand than he is allowed. This is called an overdraw. In some games, a player who draws more than his allotted number may buy those extra tiles from the other players. The player to his right may then take the purchased tiles without looking at them. Alternatively, these extra tiles may be returned to the stock and reshuffled before anyone else draws from it.
Most domino games fall into four categories: bidding games, blocking games, scoring games and round games. The way in which a domino is played provides much of the entertainment in the game.
The physics behind the power of a domino is fascinating. It is a physical law that the mass of an object tends to resist motion unless there is an external force acting on it. Once a domino is in contact with another domino, however, it can exert a significant amount of pressure on that domino.
This domino effect is the basis for how a domino chain works, but it also applies to a single domino or a series of them. The power of a domino chain is based on the fact that each individual domino has potential energy stored in it. This energy is released when the first domino falls, causing it to push on the next domino in the chain. In order for a chain to continue growing, each additional domino must be played in such a manner that it touches the same ends of the existing tiles.