Domino is a game where players place dominoes on the table, then try to score points by laying them end to end in some way. The rules are not the same for every game, but generally, a domino must touch another domino on its left or right edge to be played. Each domino has a number of dots on each half, and the total of all the dots is used to determine the value of the piece. Each player takes turns playing a domino, and the last player to play is the winner.

Dominos have many practical uses, including being a toy and part of Rube Goldberg devices. They can also be used to decorate walls, and people have made art from them by lining them up into straight lines or even 3D structures. Dominoes have a more serious side as well – they can be used to make computers, and physicists are working on ways to use them to create computer chips.

The word domino has several meanings, but most commonly it refers to a set of tiles that are used in games such as a form of checkers or backgammon. The first known use of the word came in the early 18th century, when it was first recorded in Italy and France. The game was later introduced to England. A domino set is usually composed of a double-twelve or double-nine set (91 or 55 tiles, respectively). There are also “extended” sets that add additional pips to each end of a domino.

For example, a double-twelve domino has 13 pips on each of its two ends, and a double-nine has 12 pips on both its ends. These extended sets are used when more than four people want to play.

Dominoes have a long history as a toy and are used in many games, including poker, checkers, backgammon, and other card games. They are also a popular game for parties and children’s birthday parties. They are also often used in educational settings, as they allow children to develop spatial skills by building arrangements of tiles on a table.

Throughout history, people have used dominoes to represent events and ideas. For example, in a story or poem, a domino might be each scene that advances the plot or theme of the work. Each scene may be insignificant by itself, but when arranged together, they naturally influence one another and create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Business practices can also be compared to dominoes. For example, when a leader of a company makes a controversial decision, it can have a domino effect on the company’s employees and customers. It can also cause other problems to surface, such as legal issues or financial woes. These problems can then lead to a chain reaction that affects even more people than it initially did. For these reasons, it is important to listen to employees and other stakeholders when making decisions.