Domino
Anyone who has played with dominoes knows the simple joy of lining up a row of them in a straight or curved line, flicking the first one and watching it fall. But this is just the beginning, and dominoes can be used in a variety of ways to make more complex designs. It’s a fun, creative activity that encourages imagination and teamwork. It also teaches children the value of careful planning and how to work within a set of rules. This is an important lesson that can be applied to many areas of life.
A small rectangular block, thumbsized or larger, with a face divided into two parts, each blank or marked by an arrangement of spots resembling those on a die and usually numbered from zero to six in the most common version, which has 28 pieces. Also called dominoes and dom*i*nos, the plural of a word whose meaning is derived from Latin dominus (lord) or French domin (master). A player scores points by laying a domino on its side, touching it with another domino at either end; the exposed ends must match—one’s to ones, two’s to twos, and so on. A player can build lines of dominoes that connect and form a structure, or they can create patterns, such as a circular design, a rainbow spiral, or a heart shape.
The term domino is also applied to a series of events that, like the toppling of a domino rally, start out with a relatively minor event and then have major—even catastrophic—consequences. It’s the same phenomenon that inspired the popular phrase, “the domino effect.”
Domino’s started in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960. Its founder, Dominic Monaghan, placed the first Domino’s locations near colleges, since he knew that students would be frequent customers. He also emphasized speedy delivery, a key factor in the company’s early success.
While Domino’s is best known for pizza, it also sells a wide array of other foods, including wings, pastas, and salads. The company also provides catering and online ordering services.
In addition to Domino’s restaurants, the company has a large distribution network. The company has experimented with different methods of pizza delivery, such as driverless cars and drones. Its goal is to find the method that will most effectively meet its customers’ needs.
A traditional European domino set contains 28 pieces, one unique piece for each possible combination of ends that have numbers from zero to six. Some sets have a single domino with a double-six, but the most common are those that include the maximum number of pips on each end. This allows for more combinations and higher scoring games. There are also a few other types of dominoes, such as those with more pips or those made with a wood or metal that has a different look and feel. Dominoes can also be made with nontraditional materials, such as frosted glass or crystal. These sets are less expensive, but can also be more difficult to play with because of the additional forces that affect how they fall.