The physics of a row of toppling dominoes is discussed. The forces between the falling dominoes are analyzed, including the effect of friction. The propagation speed of the domino effect is calculated for the range of spatial separations for which the domino effect exists. The dependence of the speed as a function of the domino width, height, and interspacing is derived.
REFERENCES
1.
Robert B.
Banks
, Towing Icebergs, Falling Dominoes and Other Adventures in Applied Mechanics
(Princeton U. P.
, Princeton, NJ
, 1998
).2.
C. J.
Efthimiou
and M. D.
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,” SIAM Rev.
49
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(2007
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4.
D. E.
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W. J.
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,” Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A
418
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Jearl
Walker
, “Deep think on dominoes falling in a row and leaning out from the edge of a table
,” Sci. Am.
251
(8
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See, for example,
M.
Alonso
and E. J.
Finn
, Fundamental University Physics
, 2nd ed. (Addison-Wesley
, Reading, MA
, 1980
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, p. 155
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B. G.
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, A. B.
Cox
, and L.
Gore
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,” SIAM Rev.
25
, 403
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(1983
).9.
The code for calculating the velocity of the domino effect can be found (with or without friction) at ⟨www.lorentz.leidenuniv.nl/lunchcalc/dominoes/⟩.
10.
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