Domino is a board game that combines luck with a little bit of strategy. Players lay out a set of dominoes and try to connect their pieces so that the sum of their “end” tiles is divisible by five or three, thereby earning points.
It’s a fun game to play, and it’s also inspired a lot of other popular games. It’s also been used as a metaphor for the domino effect, when one action inevitably causes others.
You’ve probably played dominoes before, but you might not have known that they’re actually a science experiment. When you knock a domino down, it can cause thousands of other dominoes to fall.
A domino is a black rectangular block with white dots. It’s usually stacked in long rows and knocked down to form complex patterns that look impressive when they fall.
Nick Smith is a woodworker who makes dominoes in his grandmother’s garage using tools like a drill press, radial arm saw, scroll saw, belt sander, and welder. His method isn’t the only way to make a domino, but it’s easy enough for anyone with an eye for detail and a desire to express creativity through woodworking.
His creations are stunning. They’re so intricate that you could spend a lot of time watching them fall. But they’re all possible because of one physical phenomenon: gravity.
The force of gravity pulls a domino toward the ground, sending it crashing into the next domino and setting off a chain reaction that can result in the dominoes falling at speeds up to a mile per hour. It’s all because a small amount of potential energy is stored in the dominoes when they stand upright, and that potential energy is converted into kinetic energy when they’re pulled down.
Physicist Stephen Morris, who studies the way the physical world works, says that when you pick up a domino and stand it upright, the dominoes store potential energy, which is based on where they’re placed. That energy is converted into kinetic energy, which is the type of energy that’s created when a domino is falling, and it’s this energy that can cause dominoes to fall.
That’s why it’s important to watch the dominoes you’re tumbling. It’s a great way to understand how gravity and friction work together to make the dominoes tumble.
It’s also important to pay attention to how the dominoes fall, because it’s easy to forget that they can be broken into tiny pieces when they’re knocked down. The smaller pieces can break off, causing dominoes to tumble out of place or even fly off the wall.
Once a design is complete, Hevesh tests the installation by putting up different sections and filming them in slow motion to see how they work. When they all work, she puts them together into a single, cohesive display.
Hevesh uses her knowledge of physics to create these amazing displays. She also has a degree in engineering and an interest in science.