A domino is a small rectangular block of wood or plastic, with one side blank and the other marked with an arrangement of dots resembling those on dice. The blocks are used to play games in which players place them edge to edge, forming chains of tiles that eventually collapse to the ground. In most cases, the first player to reach the end of a chain wins the game. Alternatively, the person who scores the most points over a set number of rounds is declared the winner.
There are several different types of domino games, including positional games in which each player takes a turn placing a tile on the table positioning it so that its open ends form a number. Then other players place their tiles edge to edge in front of the first player’s tiles, such that each pair of adjacent tiles is either identical or forms a specific total. The open ends of the final tiles are then counted. A double-blank may count as either one or two, and a tile with pips showing at both ends is often called a “wild” tile.
Dominoes are also used in art to create patterns, and they can be arranged to form 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. Some people use dominoes to decorate their homes and some even build their own domino galleries in their backyards.
The term Domino effect is also used figuratively to describe how one event can affect many other events in the same way that a domino falls. It is important to note that not all domino effects are positive, and in some cases can have very negative consequences.
In business, a domino effect can be a positive thing, as it can result in the rapid advancement of an organization. For example, if a single employee is given an excellent performance review, other employees may follow suit, leading to a companywide increase in morale. This can lead to increased productivity and improved profits.
However, a negative domino effect can be just as bad as a positive one. A company that suffers a large loss can lose the confidence of investors and employees, and this may lead to a decline in sales and revenue. A company suffering a financial loss may then need to cut back on spending, which can result in layoffs, and possibly other negative effects on the economy.
The best way to avoid a negative domino effect is to focus on the tasks that are most important to the success of the business, and to make sure those tasks receive the attention and resources needed to complete them. It is also important to keep in mind that not all tasks have equal impact, and to pick out the good dominoes so that they can have a positive ripple effect in the future.
Physicist Stephen Morris explains that standing a domino upright gives it potential energy based on its location, but once the first domino topples, the energy is converted from potential to kinetic energy and causes other tiles to fall. This principle can be applied to writing fiction, as a well-developed plot depends on the reaction of characters to various events.