Dominoes are small rectangular blocks used as gaming pieces. Each domino has two square ends that are marked or blank, and it is connected to the next piece by a thin strip of cardboard called a “no-touch” or “touchy.” When a domino is placed on the table, its long body slides across the surface until it comes to rest against a domino in front of it. Then the energy of the falling domino transmits to the longer body of the next domino and continues until all the dominoes have fallen. Dominoes are also used to build intricate structures such as curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, and 3D towers and pyramids.

When you push a domino over, its potential energy converts to kinetic energy—the energy of motion—and then the energy travels down the length of the domino’s body to knock it over. This process is akin to the way nerve cells transfer impulses from one cell to another.

The word domino is most often used to describe a series of events that are linked by causal chains, but it can be applied to any event or activity that has a cascading effect on those around it. Whether it’s the collapse of a skyscraper or a political scandal, the impact of an initial domino can lead to a chain reaction that has far-reaching consequences.

Domino’s Pizza has been a leader in developing innovative ways for customers to order their food, including by texting or using voice assistant devices like Amazon Echo. But recently, the company has been struggling to keep up with its competitors. Its profits have declined, and the stock price has fallen by more than 40 percent since late 2015. The company’s leadership team knows that if they want to remain a leader in this space, they must address the domino effect that is currently occurring.

Lily Hevesh is a domino artist who creates mind-blowing domino installations for movies, TV shows, and events. She has even helped set a Guinness World Record for the most dominoes toppled in a circular arrangement: 76,017. Her largest designs take several nail-biting minutes to fall. She works carefully to ensure that each part of her setup is designed for success.

Hevesh starts her projects by considering the theme or purpose of an installation. Then she brainstorms images or words that might be associated with it. She also uses fractions to help determine how many dominoes she’ll need for a project and how they should be arranged. She makes test versions of each section before putting them together. She films the tests in slow motion to ensure that her creations work properly. This helps her avoid big accidental dominoes—and the resulting frustration of having to rebuild the entire thing. She’s also learned that it’s important to omit small, random dominoes from her larger designs until the very end. That way, if she or a teammate accidentally knocks something over, it won’t bring the whole thing crashing down.