Domino, a game of skill and strategy, requires strategic placement of each domino. To win, a player must make the first play, which is known as “the set,” “the down,” or “the lead.” Then, the players must place other tiles on that tile, forming a chain of dominoes that eventually forms a snake-like shape. These chains may then be flipped over, allowing the next player to take their turn.
A domino, also called a domino block or a set of dominoes, is a flat thumbsized rectangular block that is blank on one side and bears from one to six arrangements of spots, or pips, on the other: 28 such pieces form a complete domino set. Dominoes are used in a variety of games, most of which involve matching the ends of dominoes to each other, laying them down in lines and angular patterns. The word is also used as a verb, meaning to place or cause such a piece.
In addition to being a fun game, domino offers several useful educational applications. For example, it can be used to teach fractions and decimal values. It can also be used to demonstrate how nerve cells function, as illustrated in this domino model, which shows the path of a neuron from its beginning to its end, and how the cell’s activity is affected when a certain pattern of dominoes is applied.
When Lily Hevesh creates her domino installations, she starts by considering a theme or purpose. Then, she brainstorms images or words that will be used in the display and plans out how it will be arranged. Depending on the size of the installation, this might include grids that form pictures or walls or 3-D structures like towers and pyramids.
Once she has the desired layout, she determines how many dominoes she will need by dividing the total number of tiles into fractions, such as 13 or 24. She combines these fractions to find out how much space she will need to accommodate all the dominoes that will be needed for the project. This helps her avoid wasting any dominoes and also makes it easier to figure out what color dominoes to use for each section of the installation.
After the stock is shuffled, each player draws seven tiles. The player who draws the heaviest domino (also referred to as an “opening” or “starting”) will make the first play in accordance with the rules of the particular domino game being played. Then the rest of the tiles are placed face down and, if allowed by that game’s rules, may be purchased (“byed”) by the player later in the hand.
The most basic domino variant, for two players, requires a double-six set of dominoes. The 28 tiles are shuffled and formed into a pile, called the stock or boneyard. Each player then draws seven dominoes. In some games, the player who draws the heaviest double will make the first play; in others, it is determined by the highest domino in any of the players’ hands.
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