Dominoes are a family of tile-based games. Each tile has two square ends and one is marked with a spot for the number of dominoes it has. When all tiles are placed together, they make a chain. Once the chain is complete, the dominoes fall in the same order. The aim of dominoes is to collect as many pairs as possible. There are many variations of dominoes, including ones with a special pattern on the ends.

Variations of dominoes

There are many variations of dominoes, including scoring, blocking, and layout games. Most variations use double-nine or double-twelve sets. The number of tiles played varies by size of the set and number of players. Some variations use a timer instead of a score. The player who stitches the ends receives more points if they have doubles in their hand during a loss.

Rules of game

The basic rules of domino are simple, if somewhat complex. Each player begins with an equal number of domino tiles. As the game progresses, they must shift their dominoes to expand the playing area. They must also avoid placing dominoes that match a player’s digit. Ultimately, they must build a cell with one or more domino tiles in it, and this cell will score points. Players may leave only dominoes that match the number of tiles on either end of the playing board, or they may discard all their tiles.

Material of dominoes

Dominoes are traditionally made of ivory inlaid with ebony pips. In fact, ivory domino sets are among the most expensive. However, ivory is illegal for domino production due to the recent decline in African elephant populations. To avoid further poaching of elephants, ivory dominoes were banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Falling rate of dominoes

The fall rate of a chain of dominoes depends on several factors, including the number of dominoes in the chain, the total distance span of the dominoes, and the shape of the domino arrangement. Scientists have studied this phenomenon both experimentally and theoretically, and have found that the fall rate is more predictable when the dominoes are arranged in a linear arrangement than when they are arranged nonlinearly.

Origin of game

There are several accounts of the origin of the domino. According to the Chu sz yam, also called Investigations on the Traditions of All Things, dominoes were invented in 1120 CE and presented to the Emperor Hui Tsung. They were then circulated abroad by imperial order, resulting in their standardization. However, other accounts of the origin of domino are more speculative.