Carlo Beenakker: Physics of the Domino Effect

The Domino Effect is a classic example of a chain reaction: Toppling the first stone in a row of dominoes will bring down the entire row.

See domino effect video.

For the Quiz, which is broadcast on national television on Christmas Eve, I was asked to do the experiment and explain the outcome. My explanation was oversimplified, but the best I could do for a TV show. Hans van Leeuwen (my colleague) provided a much more rigorous analysis (see link at bottom).

Links: Carlo Beenakker Hans van Leeuwen van Leeuwen arXiv preprint