Domino is a game played with flat blocks, called dominoes or tiles, each bearing from one to six dots or pips (or sometimes blanks). A complete set of dominoes consists of 28 dominoes. The most common domino sets are double six, and double nine. Larger sets of dominoes, including the double twelve and double fifteen, also exist, but they are less common. Dominoes are arranged end to end in long lines, and each tile must match the ends of adjacent pieces. When a domino is tipped, it triggers a chain reaction that causes the rest of the dominoes to tip in turn until the entire line of dominoes collapses. This is what gives rise to the term domino effect, which describes an event or series of events that start out small but eventually have much greater, and often dramatic, consequences.

Domino’s started as a single store in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960 and quickly became known for delivering pizza to customers in a short amount of time. In 1967, the company introduced its first franchise location, and the chain began to grow rapidly. Its rapid growth came to a halt in the mid-1970s, however, when the company’s leadership changed, and its founder, Dominick DeLorenzo, left the company. This leadership change, along with a general decline in the economy, had a disastrous effect on Domino’s business.

In the aftermath of the leadership change, Domino’s focused on introducing new items to its menu and expanding into non-pizza delivery. However, these efforts were met with little success and the company was soon $943 million in debt. In 1979, Domino’s reorganized and adopted the management style of behavioral theory, which emphasizes employee participation in decision-making processes. It also renamed itself Domino’s Pizza and focused on establishing its stores in the right locations to attract college students, who it believed would be the best audience for its product.

The most popular types of domino games involve scoring points by laying the dominoes edge to edge. Each domino has a pair of exposed ends, and the number of pips on each end determines its value. Each domino belongs to one of three suits: the suit of one’s, the suit of two’s and the suit of threes. A piece is scored if it touches the exposed ends of another domino in a matching number or total.

The most important thing to remember when playing a domino game is that each domino has potential energy, or stored energy, based on its position. When a domino is tipped over, most of that potential energy converts to kinetic energy as the domino moves through its path. This is why a domino that has been standing upright for some time can suddenly topple over if someone knocks over a nearby brick or block. Dominoes are most likely to topple if the domino is in a vertical position, but they can also be tipped over if they’re stacked horizontally.