A domino is a small, rectangular block of wood or plastic. It has a marked side (usually with a number or letters) and a blank or identically-marked other side. A domino set includes 28 pieces, but there are many different games that can be played with them.
Some domino sets are made of other natural materials, such as marble, soapstone or slate. Others are crafted of finer materials such as silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl) or ivory with inlaid black or white dots. Still more are sculpted in ceramic clay, glass or even ice. The most common domino material, though, is plastic.
The game of domino involves positioning one domino edge to edge against another domino, either in a line or across a square. A domino has the power to topple all adjacent pieces, but only if it has sufficient energy. When a domino is positioned correctly, the potential energy it has built up from its shape and inertia becomes kinetic energy. That energy is transferred to the next domino, pushing it over until the entire line or circle of dominoes falls. The last domino in the line will then stop transferring energy to other dominoes and a chain reaction stops.
Domino’s is known for its pizza delivery business, but the company also uses it as a marketing tool. It promotes its services through television, radio and newspaper ads, and it partners with local sports leagues and events to increase brand awareness. In addition, Domino’s utilizes targeted internet advertising to reach its customers.
It’s possible that the CVS decision will lead to a domino effect, where other pharmacies follow suit and fewer people shop at those chains. But, that is unlikely. A more likely consequence of this move is that more people will start shopping at other stores. In the short term, this might hurt Domino’s profits, but in the long run it might improve the company’s customer satisfaction.
Domino’s has invested heavily in cutting-edge technology created primarily by teams of cross-functional employees at its World Resource Center in Ann Arbor. This innovative work, combined with the company’s ability to quickly deliver goods to customers, has helped drive growth in recent years. The company now has a new innovation lab to foster the development of further breakthroughs.
When Hevesh creates her mind-blowing domino setups, she follows a version of the engineering-design process. First, she considers the theme or purpose of the installation, and brainstorms images or words that might be relevant. She then creates a rough drawing and tests it out with some small blocks before moving on to the larger ones. The process takes hours, and the final results can take several nail-biting minutes to fall, but when they do, it’s like magic. The entire sequence is a demonstration of the power of potential energy and physics.