Domino is a series of rectangular blocks, normally twice as long as they are wide. They are stacked end to end in long lines. When the first domino is tipped over, it causes the next one to tip and so on, in a chain reaction that can continue for quite some time. This is the basis for the popular game of dominoes, in which players try to make all the dominoes fall in a carefully planned arrangement. Very complex designs can be made. It has also given rise to the term “the domino effect,” which is used to describe any action that has much greater, sometimes even catastrophic consequences.

Domino has been a frequent character in the X-Men comic book series. The mutant’s name is derived from the Latin word dominium, which means “favor or good luck.” Her powers are centered on probability field manipulation, enabling her to affect chance in her favor, from triggering an enemy’s equipment malfunction to hitting just the right switch to shut down a nuclear reactor. She’s often credited for saving the lives of several X-Men and even humans, though questions are sometimes raised about her true motives and abilities.

When people talk about the “domino effect,” they usually refer to this sort of chain reaction, where one simple action leads to much bigger (and sometimes dangerous) results. However, the domino principle can be applied to many different situations. For example, if you start a day with a small victory, you’re likely to feel more motivated and excited for what the day may bring. These little victories are what I call domino actions, and they can have a big impact on your day.

In the late 1980s, Domino’s Pizza introduced a revolutionary new delivery system by guaranteeing that all orders would be delivered within 30 minutes. This guarantee, which had never been tested in a real-world situation, led to some very dangerous driving by Domino’s drivers, including a fatal accident that eventually cost the company $79 million.

The domino principle is also used to describe the way that one problem can lead to many more problems, in which each issue becomes increasingly difficult to solve as you go down the list of possible solutions. This is the nature of chaos theory and the butterfly effect, where a small change in one part of the world can have large, unpredictable effects on other parts of it.

When Hevesh creates a mind-blowing domino installation, she tests each section of the display individually before it goes up. She plans out the overall layout of her design on a piece of paper and then makes test models to see if they work as expected. When she has a successful model, she can then move on to making the larger 3-D sections of her masterpieces. She also films her experiments in slow motion, which allows her to see if any sections of the setup don’t work as intended. By testing and refining her work, Hevesh is able to create stunning domino designs that seem to defy gravity.