A domino is a small rectangular block used as a gaming device. It is usually molded or drilled with a series of spots that represent numbers, known as pips. A domino set can be made in almost any color combination, but white dominoes with black pips are most common. When played according to the rules of a game, dominoes are usually stacked on end in long lines. A player then places one on top of the other and then knocks them over in sequence. This creates a chain reaction that is sometimes called the domino effect, in reference to a single action that leads to much greater—and often times catastrophic—consequences.

Dominoes are most commonly used for positional games in which the players place their dominoes edge to edge, so that their exposed ends match (i.e., one’s touch two’s and so on). Each domino has a total of five dots, and the sum of those dots determines its score in the game. A player may also choose to add or subtract points based on the number of dots on the exposed ends of a domino, but this is rarely done.

In addition to games, dominoes can be used for art. For example, people can create designs by placing domino pieces in a line and then squeezing them together. In some cases, the result can be a simple pattern such as a cross or an overlapping square. More sophisticated patterns can also be achieved by placing dominoes on a grid and then arranging them in a particular way. Dominos can also be placed in a circle, with the goal of creating an entire picture or figure.

While domino is often seen as a fun game for children, it is also an effective teaching tool. The fact that a single domino can cause an entire row of other dominoes to fall is an important lesson for children about the power of physics and the impact of an individual’s actions.

Similarly, the way in which writers can use domino to teach their readers about plot structure is an excellent metaphor for the process of writing a novel. Whether a writer writes on the fly or carefully follows an outline, a story must contain a series of beats that are the equivalent of each domino in the plot. The simplest beat in a story is a conflict or scene that needs to be resolved, and the most dramatic way to resolve it is through a chain reaction, as seen with a line of dominoes. By thinking of each plot beat as a domino and ensuring that they are connected, writers can write compelling stories.