A domino is a small rectangular block with an arrangement of dots or pips on one side and a blank or identically patterned side. A domino is typically twice as long as it is wide, and the number of pips on each end determines its value; for example, a double-6 has six pips on its two ends, while a double-12 has twelve. Dominos are usually played with a single player, but they can also be used to create patterns and other forms of art.
The most common domino sets have either six, nine, or twelve pips on their ends and are named for the highest-valued domino in the set. Depending on the game being played, larger or smaller domino sets may be used. For example, the most common domino game, Draw, requires only a double-6 set; other games may use the more common double-9, double-12, or even double-15 sets.
When playing domino, players take turns laying tiles down in a row. Each tile must match the value of a previous tile, and play continues until each player has no more matching dominoes in their hands or can no longer lay another domino without making an illegal move. The first player to do this wins the hand. If a player cannot play any more dominoes, they “chip out” and play passes to the opponent.
Many people enjoy using dominoes to create art, such as straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. Others use dominoes to build complicated mechanical devices, such as Rube Goldberg machines.
Hevesh, who holds the Guinness World Record for the most dominoes toppled in a circular arrangement, says that the physical laws of physics are key to her amazing creations. One of these is inertia, the tendency of objects to resist motion unless they are pushed or pulled. Hevesh makes test versions of each section of her creations, and she films them in slow motion to ensure that everything works exactly as it should.
Technology is a major component of Domino’s success, and the company takes great pride in being at the forefront of new ways for customers to order pizzas. In fact, half of Domino’s employees are in software analytics, which allows them to create innovative new ways for customers to order and receive their pizzas, such as by text message or voice through devices like Amazon Echo. The company also takes pride in the way its leaders are trained, as evidenced by the show Undercover Boss, in which CEO Don Meij sends his executives to work in various locations to analyze the company’s leadership structure and how employees respond to challenges they face. The program has helped Domino’s to identify the qualities that make for an effective leader and has promoted those traits among its staff.