Domino effect

For other uses, see Domino Effect (disambiguation).

A falling line of dominoes, each knocking the next over

A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. This term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes. It typically refers to a linked sequence of events where the time between successive events is relatively small.

The term domino effect can be used literally (an observed series of actual collisions) or metaphorically (causal linkages within systems such as global finance or politics). The term is used both to imply that an event is inevitable or highly likely (as it has already started to happen), and conversely to imply that an event is impossible or highly unlikely (the one domino left standing).

The mechanical domino effect is exploited in Rube Goldberg machines.

See also

• Ablation cascade
• Behavioral contagion
• Butterfly effect
• Cascading failure
• Causality
• Chain reaction
• Chinese whispers
• Copycat crime
• Domino
• Domino effect accident
• Domino theory
• Mathematical induction
• Ripple effect
• Snowball effect

Further reading

• Impact Mechanics, W. J. Stronge, Cambridge University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-521-60289-0, ISBN 978-0-521-60289-1