Dominos are rectangular blocks featuring one side covered with dots arranged in an arrangement, with their other sides either blank or identically patterned. Each domino’s dots, known as pips, determine its value in games that use them; typically sets consisting of six pips on either end are most frequently found among these games; other sets can have more or fewer.
Dominoes can be enjoyed in many games, with the most common one involving laying down a line and knocking it over with one small movement. Witnessing how just one domino can cause another one or even all to topple can be thrillingly addictive; but what exactly makes one domino push over another one, even billions?
Hevesh, an artist known for her astonishing domino installations, utilizes an adaptation of the engineering-design process when crafting her works. First she considers what her installation needs to communicate before brainstorming images and words that might convey this idea.
As soon as she has an idea for her piece, she begins sketching it. Once this plan is in place, she considers what materials to use – this may influence its overall look and feel; traditionally polymer clay may not be sufficient; other natural materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or ebony could also be employed; in some instances she even mixes different materials to achieve unique looks.
Her opponent then selects her desired dominoes from a set containing 28 tiles known as a double-six set, in which each domino has six pips on both ends and which are known as double-six dominoes. She draws them from this boneyard or stock which is arranged so players can draw out from it without being able to see its values.
Each domino is composed of one piece that is twice as long and wide, connected by a line running down its center to visually divide it into two squares that can each contain from one to six pips or none. Dominoes with identical values on either side are known as doublets while ones that differ are called singles.
Most domino games aim to score points by placing domino pieces so that their exposed ends touch: one end touches another or vice versa; points are scored when this total of exposed ends is divisible by five or three.
Hevesh’s creations are an astounding testament to how small movements can produce hugely consequential results. These principles can also be applied to student learning; those struggling with certain subjects often use strategies familiar and comfortable to them to compensate for challenges they are encountering – but these compensatory skills ultimately impede development of essential abilities needed to become proficient at those subjects; eventually the compensation skills build until cognitive overload sets in and they lose the capacity for true learning.