Domino is a small rectangular game piece that has an arrangement of spots, or pips, on one side and is blank or identically patterned on the other. Dominoes are often made from wood, bone, ivory, or plastic and have been used for thousands of years to play many different games.
Dominoes have a long history as a popular game for families, but they are also used in educational and therapeutic settings. The game has a strong association with learning and the development of motor skills in young children, especially when it is used to learn numbers and counting. Dominoes are also frequently used to encourage social interaction between players and can help develop interpersonal skills, such as turn-taking, communication, and conflict resolution.
The name of the game comes from the fact that dominoes can be arranged to form lines with each subsequent piece pushing or covering the face of the preceding piece. This allows players to create complex patterns, or chains, and can also lead to games that require strategic planning and skill. For example, some people may create art using dominoes by arranging them into straight or curved lines, grids that create pictures when they fall, or even 3D structures like towers and pyramids. Some examples of domino art include the Rainbow Spiral that Lily Hevesh created in 2017 with 12,000 dominoes.
Hevesh’s creations demonstrate how inertia can influence the behavior of a chain. Just a tiny nudge is enough to cause the first domino to fall and trigger a cascade of events that eventually leads to an entire line falling over. Hevesh’s work also highlights how much potential energy a domino has stored, and how just a little bit of extra force can be enough to tip it over.
A recent labor shortage has been a significant headwind to Domino’s growth, especially as the company is heavily dependent on its delivery services. The company has struggled to keep up with orders because of a lack of drivers, leading some stores to reduce their operating hours or limit deliveries. The company is working to improve its delivery service and hopes to leverage technology to help offset the effects of the labor shortage.
The company is leveraging its existing assets to address these challenges, including the use of data analytics to optimize routes and delivery times. It is also experimenting with new delivery methods, such as drones and robots, to complement its fleet of trucks. While these initiatives are likely to take time to deliver meaningful results, the company’s robust store network and supply chain efficiencies should provide it with the ability to grow revenues despite the current challenges. Domino’s stock price has risen as investors have faith in the company’s ability to overcome these challenges. The company’s strong balance sheet and best-in-class ROIC will also support continued growth in the future.