Domino is a small rectangular block used as gaming pieces or for a variety of other purposes. Its face is marked with an arrangement of dots or pips, identical on both sides, similar to those on a die. The pips indicate what number or symbols the domino will be when turned over, whether it be one, two, three, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, or thirteen. Each pips also corresponds with a different color. Dominoes may be played with either one or more players. Some games involve blocking or scoring while others are based on strategy and luck.
Dominos are often used as a metaphor to represent a series of events that lead to an outcome. For example, if an individual is unable to complete a task before the deadline or if someone else does something that leads to a negative result, that action will impact other individuals in a similar manner, creating a domino effect. The domino principle is sometimes applied to personal goals and work habits as well. For instance, Admiral William H. McRaven once said, “Start each day by making your bed.” While this is an obvious task, it sets a positive tone for the rest of the morning and creates a ripple effect throughout the day.
Some learning challenges impact students in a way similar to falling dominos. Compensating for a learning difference can cause the student to get caught up in acquiring compensatory skills that prevent them from progressing with their peers. As a result, they may not have enough logical impact on the scene ahead of them.
While a single domino is insignificant by itself, a long row of them can be mesmerizing. In the same way, a novel is a collection of scenes that influence each other in a similar way. Each scene has its own logical impact but, when placed in the context of the overall story, it becomes part of the whole.
A Domino Effect Can Actually Be More Powerful Than We Think
The most famous example of the domino effect occurred in 1983 when University of British Columbia physicist Lorne Whitehead used 13 dominoes to knock down a block of wood one-and-a-half times larger. It took more than 30 hours to set up, but the final display was spectacular.
Hevesh has worked on team projects involving 300,000 dominoes and once helped to set the Guinness World Record for most dominoes toppled in a circular arrangement. Despite the complexity of her creations, she says there is one physical phenomenon that is key to the success of any domino setup. “Gravity is the key,” she says. It’s what pulls the first domino down and sets it in motion.