The Basics of Dominoes
The domino is a small rectangular block of wood or plastic, usually double-sided and marked with dots resembling those on dice. It is normally twice as long as it is wide, and the pips on its two ends indicate its value: one end may have no pips (blank), while the other has either six, five, four, three or zero pips. A domino has a special property that allows it to be toppled by a single piece that is placed adjacent to it. Once a domino is toppled, its adjacent pieces fall at a constant rate, and the sequence continues down the line. Dominoes are popular as a pastime, for educational purposes, and for the enjoyment of their beauty and the challenge of their construction.
The word ‘domino’ is used in many different ways, but the most common use of it today is to refer to a game played with a set of dominoes. The most common domino games involve blocking other players’ play, scoring, or both, and the rules for each game vary slightly. Unlike most card games, dominoes are small enough to be handled with ease, but detailed enough that their fine materials and craftsmanship demand respect.
Each domino has a value based on its arrangement of pips, and a player’s score depends on whether he can match or exceed his opponents’ scores. Most dominoes are made of ivory, bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), or a dark hardwood such as ebony. In recent years, they have also been made of metals, ceramic clay, or frosted glass.
The number of pips on a domino is a key factor in determining its value, but the overall appearance of a domino is equally important. It should be pleasing to the eye, and it is often designed to appeal to a particular market. For example, a domino set for children might be shaped like animals or cars.
To determine seating arrangements in a domino game, the tiles are shuffled, and each player draws a domino for his hand. The player drawing the highest-valued domino goes first. If there is a tie, the player draws another domino and seats himself accordingly. If the player draws more tiles for his hand than he is entitled to, those extra dominoes are returned to the stock and reshuffled before the next player draws his hand.
Using dominoes to make art is an exciting and creative way for people of all ages to express their creativity. Dominoes can be used to draw straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when the dominoes are arranged in a proper way, or even 3D structures like towers and pyramids. They can also be used to create patterns and landscapes. They can be glued together to create intricate works of art, or they can be left on the table in a decorative display. The most popular type of domino art is a domino mosaic, which involves creating an image by putting dominoes on a grid and then painting over them.