Domino’s is one of the world’s most successful pizza brands, and it has a savvy strategy for using social media to ramp up engagement and sales. A series of videos in which former footballer Jimmy Bullard was filmed preparing for the World Cup is a great example of how it’s been able to generate a lot of reach and engagement online.
There are many different games to play with dominoes, but the two most common are the “standard” or “block” game and the “draw” game. In the standard game, players take all of their dominoes first and can only add one to their set each turn. In the draw game, players pick a sleeping domino to add to their set. Then, when all of their dominoes are occupied, they pass their turn to the next player.
Creating a domino design is all about physics
In a domino setup, gravity is key. Physicist Stephen Morris says that the force of gravity pushes a domino forward, knocking it down and allowing the energy stored in it to travel to the next domino.
This conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy (energy of motion) is what sets off the domino effect. It creates a chain reaction that results in a domino falling down and knocking over the next domino in the chain, and so on.
The process is simple, but it’s also incredibly powerful. In fact, a domino’s ability to convert potential energy to kinetic energy is what makes it possible for an artist like Hevesh to create such mind-blowing designs.
Hevesh uses a version of engineering-design principles to build her displays, which feature geometric shapes, curved lines, grids that form images when the tiles fall, stacked walls and 3D structures such as towers and pyramids.
As she begins to build her designs, Hevesh says that her goal is to use science to create a design that works with the laws of physics. She explains that the force of gravity is crucial, as is a specific physical phenomenon known as the “geometric progression.”
When Hevesh is designing her projects, she thinks about what kind of image or theme she wants to convey. She then brainstorms symbols or words that she might want to include in her art.
Throughout the process, she draws inspiration from a variety of sources. She considers what people will see when they see her installation, she uses words and symbols that are meaningful to the audience she’s targeting, and she focuses on using scientific principles to create a compelling display.
She says that she follows a similar process for her other installations, too. She starts with an idea for the installation, then brainstorms images and words that she might want to include in her design.
Finally, she plans out how she wants the dominoes to fall. She tries out different arrangements to determine which works best.
Hevesh’s mind-blowing installations aren’t just impressive from a scientific standpoint; they’re also awe-inspiring from an aesthetic perspective. She has even set a Guinness World Record for the most dominoes toppled in a circular arrangement.