Domino is a popular game that has been enjoyed by generations of players. It is an activity that fosters camaraderie and bonding among participants, whether in busy city squares or in quiet village homes. The game also has cultural significance across various societies, transcending linguistic and geographical boundaries.
The game of domino has a long history, with the first mention in writing dating to 1740. The word is derived from the Italian domanda, meaning “fate” or “luck.” The game itself is an art form, with players creating a variety of artistic designs with lines of dominoes that can be as simple or elaborate as the builder wishes. The pieces can be arranged to create straight or curved lines, grids that form pictures, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids.
When a domino is played, it causes the other dominoes in the line to fall one by one, completing a chain reaction that ends when the last domino falls. It is a game of strategy and timing that requires careful planning to ensure a successful outcome. A large and complex domino structure can take hours to complete, and even the smallest mistake could result in the entire project collapsing.
To prevent such mistakes, builders of complicated domino effects often make test versions of each section before assembling the final installation. Then, they film these tests in slow motion to check that the pieces work as intended. Even so, small accidental knockovers are a part of nearly every domino installation. Hevesh is a master at preventing big accidental topples, but she says small ones happen in just about every project.
The most common materials for dominoes are bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), and ivory with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted on them. More recently, dominoes have been made from a number of other natural materials, including stone (e.g., marble or granite); other woods (e.g., ash, oak, or redwood); metals (e.g., brass or pewter); and ceramic clay. In addition, some sets are made from more novel materials, such as woods with natural grain, frosted glass, or crystal.
The element of a domino effect that is particularly dangerous in the industrial sector concerns accidents that can spread from one unit or plant to other “neighbouring” units or plants in an undesirable way, often with disastrous consequences for human life and the environment. In this article, a methodology is developed to determine the essential elements that constitute an accident of this kind. By identifying these key elements, it is possible to draft a more comprehensive definition of an accidental domino effect than has been proposed previously. This definition will be useful for developing safety and emergency management policies in industrial settings that require attention to this type of risk.