Domino is a type of game that uses small rectangular blocks, called dominoes, to make a long line of dominoes that topple over one after the other. Children like to line them up in rows and knock them down. They can also create elaborate domino art, such as straight lines, curved lines that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. This art can be used as decor or as a way to teach kids about geometry, physics, and math.

Dominoes are a fun way to spend time with friends and family. They are an excellent way to develop motor skills, as well as cognitive and social skills. In addition, they are a great way to relieve stress and tension. There are many different types of domino games, and some are more complicated than others. Some are based on strategy and calculation, while others focus on blocking or scoring.

The most basic domino game is played with a double-six set of 28 tiles. These are shuffled into the boneyard or stock and then each player draws seven tiles from the stock. The player who has the most tiles in their hand at any given moment wins. There are also a number of scoring games that determine points based on the value of the pips (spots) in each tile.

Hevesh, a domino artist who creates amazing creations that sometimes take several nail-biting minutes to fall, says that her biggest designs require a lot of planning. This is because the dominoes have inertia, a tendency to resist motion when there is no outside force acting on them. However, once the first domino is tipped over, its potential energy becomes available to push on the next domino in the line.

The power of the domino effect is evident in this 1983 video from University of British Columbia physicist Lorne Whitehead, who shows that the second-largest domino can actually knock over things more than a full size domino. This is why it is important to carefully plan out any domino construction if you want the cascade to work.

It’s a lesson that can be applied to writing stories as well. Whether you write by the seat of your pants or follow a detailed outline using Scrivener, it is important to carefully plot out your story so that the scenes advance the hero either closer or farther away from the goal. And, like a well-planned domino construction, the scenes must be carefully spaced so that they have maximum impact.

This is especially true if the scene is at a crucial point in the story or in a key confrontation with an adversary. If the scene doesn’t feel powerful enough to drive your reader to the edge of their seat, it might be time to consider what you can do to rework the scene to make it more exciting and dramatic.