Domino is a word that brings to mind a chain reaction. The term is also used to refer to a leader who thinks two moves ahead and has a clear understanding of the consequences of actions. In fact, the name Domino is derived from an ancient blocking game and encourages the use of caution in life.

The modern form of the word began appearing in the 18th century. The games were popular in British inns and taverns and the word was probably influenced by French. It is thought that a version of the game was brought to North America by French prisoners of war who had been captured in Europe at the time. These prisoners would have learned the game from Western soldiers who had been stationed in the region at the time.

There are many different games played with dominoes. They involve blocking, scoring and creating patterns. They can be simple, like a simple concentration variant or complex like the game of double-six, where each tile has an end with a number of dots (or “pips”) on it. The ends of the tiles are matched and if the exposed side of one tile totals any multiple of five, points are awarded. The end of the tile that was first positioned must touch a matching end, which means that the resulting pattern can develop into a snake-like chain or a line of squares depending on the arrangement of the tiles and the player’s strategy.

Dominoes are also often used to create art. They can be arranged to form lines that curve, grids that form pictures when they fall or 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. These structures can be made as elaborate or as simple as you want – and it’s fun to try to predict how the structure will fall.

When you’re playing a domino game, you have to be able to match the pips on the sides of each domino. For example, if you have a domino with 3 and 1 pips on the sides and no other tiles have these numbers on their sides, then that domino can’t be matched and will stand until someone else lays down a matching domino. If you are lucky enough to get a matching pair, then the next domino will fall. It’s best to play on a hard surface, as it’s easier to stand the pieces upright.

As each domino falls, it transforms some of its potential energy into kinetic energy, or the energy of motion. That energy is then transmitted to the next domino, which gives it the push it needs to fall over as well. And so it continues, domino by domino, until the last one is down and the whole sequence has been completed. Dominoes can also be used to demonstrate principles of physics. A University of British Columbia physicist once demonstrated that dominoes can knock over things about a third larger than they are. This is because a domino has more potential energy than the object it hits.