Domino is a type of game that uses matching pieces with identical identifying marks on both ends to form a line or grid of dots. The pieces may be connected by a line or ridge and can have either a number on one end or a blank space. The identifying mark may be an arrangement of dots or a circle that is shaped like a die. There are many ways to play domino, and the rules of different games are varied.
For example, some scoring games, such as bergen and muggins, award points to players based on the number of dominoes in their opponents’ hands. Other games allow players to place only certain dominoes, blocking others from playing.
The Domino Effect
Many people have seen the beautiful demonstration of a domino construction, where tipping the first piece ever so slightly causes the rest to fall in a rhythmic cascade. Physicists refer to this as the Domino Effect, and it is actually much more powerful than people realize. A single domino can knock down things about a foot tall. A few dominoes set up in the right configuration can even knock over a car.
It’s not hard to see why the Domino Effect is so interesting to scientists and engineers. The principles underlying the phenomenon are similar to those that govern quantum theory and particle physics. To understand the Domino Effect, you need to think of a line of dominoes as an energy chain. Each domino has potential energy, which is its tendency to resist motion when no outside force is acting on it. If the first domino falls, then all of that energy is unleashed, and it can drive the next domino down. And so on, until the entire chain is broken.
The same kind of chain reaction can occur in a computer program. If a single line in a script is altered, then it will have the effect of altering all of the other lines in the same script. This has the potential to cause a complete reversal of the original script, which could have serious consequences for the program’s function and integrity.
In order to protect the Domino Effect, developers need to be very careful about changing any line of code. Even a seemingly minor change can have far-reaching effects, which is why developers use test cases to ensure that changes don’t break existing lines of code or introduce bugs. In addition, they often develop a system of error handling to identify problems before they become widespread, which helps keep the Domino Effect intact.