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THE DOMINO

EFFECT

Background
Information
According to www.thefreedictionary.com/domino+effect, the domino effect is a
cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. In the case
of dominoes, if you push a domino and there are more, in a line, then the will all fall down.
A slight push to the first domino in the row results in the falling of the whole stack. blog.oup.com/2015/01/physics-project-domino-effect. A domino is a slim, relatively small
rectangular prism that has 1-12 dots on it. It can be a game or can be used just to make
long lines and watch them fall. It is preferred to use dominoes on a smooth table or
smooth wood.
A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect produced when one event
sets off a chain of similar events. The term is best known as a mechanical effect, and is
used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_effect.
The term domino effect can be use mechanically, like with dominoes, or it can be used
for politics. Dominoes weigh somewhere between 15 and 20 grams.
www.answers.com/Q/How_many_grams_does_one_domino_weigh.

Question
Will a line of dominoes go faster if I put them on their
sides?

Hypothesis
If I put dominoes on their sides then the dominoes will
fall slower because the domino is smaller on its side so it has
less time to gain speed.

Variables
Independent The side that the dominoes are on.
Dependent The speed at which the dominoes fall.
Controlled
1. Brand of dominoes
2. Surface that the dominoes are placed

Procedure
1. Get out a ruler, 25 dominoes, and a stop watch.
2. Put the dominoes in a line and space out the dominoes a
centimeter apart.
3. Push a domino over so that it makes the other dominoes
in the line fall.
4. Start the time as the first domino starts to fall and stop as
the last domino hits the ground.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 twenty times, record the data.

Procedure
6. Put the dominoes in a line, space out the dominoes a
centimeter apart. This time, put the dominoes on its side.
7. Repeat 3, 4, and 6, twenty times, record the data.

Results
Trials
Dominoes
Upright

Time (Seconds)

Trials
Dominoes
Sideways

Time (Seconds)

Trial 1

01.52

Trial 1

02.52

Trial 2

01.94

Trial 2

02.78

Trial 3

01.70

Trial 3

02.78

Trial 4

01.44

Trial 4

02.18

Trial 5

01.58

Trial 5

02.72

Average

01.64

Average

02.60

(Rounded to
the nearest
hundredth)

(29 Dominoes
where used
each trial)

Pictures

Dominoes
Upright

Dominoe
s

Conclusion
My hypothesis was supported. The dominoes that where
sideways fell slower than the dominoes that where upright
because the sideways dominoes have less time to fall and
their acceleration was slower than the upright dominoes.

Bibliography
Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
Answers. Answers Corporation. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
"Physics Project Lab: How to Create the Domino Effect | OUPblog."
OUPblog Physics Project Lab How to Create the Domino Effect
Comments. 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
"Search Content." Student Science. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

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