The Domino Chain Reaction — Reading Comprehension

Have you ever set up a long line of dominoes and watched them all fall down one after the other? It’s a lot of fun to watch! But it's also a great way to see a science concept called energy transfer. Energy is the ability to do work or cause change, and a domino chain reaction is a perfect example of how it moves from one object to another.

Let's start with the first domino. When you set up the dominoes, they are all standing still. They have potential energy, which is stored energy. This is because of their position—they have the potential to fall over. The first domino is the key. When you push it, you give it kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion.

As the first domino falls, it has kinetic energy. When it hits the next domino in the line, it doesn't just stop. It transfers its kinetic energy to the second domino. This push is what causes the second domino to fall. The second domino then transfers its kinetic energy to the third, and so on. This continuous passing of energy from one domino to the next is what creates the amazing chain reaction.

What happens to the energy after each domino falls? Not all of the energy is transferred. Just like with a bouncing ball, some of the energy is changed into other forms. When a domino hits the next one, you might hear a small "clack" sound. This sound is a form of sound energy. Some of the energy is also turned into heat energy from the friction, or rubbing, between the dominoes. Because some kinetic energy is lost to sound and heat with each domino, the final domino in a very long chain might not fall with as much speed as the first.

The Law of Conservation of Energy tells us that energy can't be created or destroyed, only transferred or changed. So, even though the energy from the first push seems to disappear after all the dominoes fall, it has actually been transferred and converted into the kinetic energy of each domino, as well as the sound and heat you experience during the reaction.

Fun Fact: The world record for the longest domino chain reaction used over 4.3 million dominoes and took 24 hours to complete!

Q1 What is energy?

Q2 What kind of energy does a standing domino have?

When a domino falls, it has which type of energy?

What happens to the kinetic energy of the first domino?

Why do all the dominoes fall down one after the other?

If you push a domino very gently, what will happen to the chain reaction?

You hear a sound when dominoes fall. Where did this energy come from?

A student wants to make a domino chain reaction go faster. What is the best way to do this?