Dominos are black and white squares or rectangles that are used in a variety of games. They are often called “bones,” “cards,” “tiles,” and “tickets.” The pieces in a domino set usually contain 28 tiles, with varying numbers of spots or pips.

The number of pips in a tile varies from six to none or blank. The end or side of a tile that contains the most pips is considered the “end”; if one or both sides are empty, it is considered a “double.”

Players draw seven tiles from a stock or boneyard and place them on-edge before they begin playing. These tiles can be placed on a single row or in several rows, depending on the game rules and the number of players.

During the course of a game, the tiles are passed around the table by players until one player “chips out” and the play stops. The winners are the players whose total sum of all their remaining tiles is the least.

Many variations of the basic double-six set are available, with a variety of additional pips on some or all ends. These variations are commonly referred to as “extended sets,” and they increase the maximum number of pips on an end by three or more.

Some variants of the game also use colored or multicolored tiles, allowing players to create unique combinations of ends and pieces. Other domino games involve matching pairs of pieces in a similar manner to the game of solitaire, or playing “tricks” where the goal is to match two identical tiles without making any moves or scoring.

A common variation is Five-Up, a domino variant that uses double-six tiles as spinners in the line of play to branch. The winner is the first player to accumulate a certain number of points, typically 100 or 200.

When a tile is knocked over, its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy (energy of motion). Some of that energy is transmitted to the next domino, giving it the push to fall.

The chain reaction that occurs as a domino falls can be explained by physics, according to Stephen Morris, a professor at the University of Toronto. Physicists explain that when a domino is held upright, it stores potential energy. As the domino falls, some of that potential energy is converted to kinetic energy and then to a second form of energy that is transmitted to the next domino, which in turn knocks it over, creating a cycle of falling dominoes.

This chain reaction is what’s behind the idiom “the domino effect.” The term came about in 1953 when American writer Paul Alsop was writing about President Dwight Eisenhower’s policy in Indochina, where he argued that America’s policy was being based on a falling domino theory.

In the same way, a good domino in your business strategy can lead to the success of your other initiatives. It’s important to focus on small, manageable tasks that will add up to big success. Then, you can work on larger projects that will impact your long-term goals.