Activity 2. Build A Geodesic Dome

• 1. ForcesiestructuresTecnologia3rESO Activity 2. Build a Geodesic Dome Geodesic domes are made of interlocking geometric shapes- -often triangles. Because loads are spread over many triangles, these domes are especially strong. Often made of aluminum bars and plexiglass, theyre also light compared to ordinary domes.Geodesic domes were popularized by an American inventor named Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983). Look for the distinctive Bucky-ball shape in museums, greenhouses, alternative housing, and science centres. Vancouvers Science World is a 47-metre tall geodesic dome made of 766 triangles.Materials Newspaper(65sheets) Dowelingorbroomhandle Tape Markerpen Stapler(andstaples) Measuringtape Instructions 1. Open up a sheet of newspaper. Roll the newspaper around the doweling diagonally fromone corner to the other. 2. Use a piece of tape to keep the newspaper tube together. 3. Cut the tube to length. You need a total of 35 newspaper tubes measuring 65 cm (typeA) and 30 tubes measuring 58 cm. (type B). Use the marker pen to put a mark on thelonger newspaper tubes. So get busy rolling, measuring, and cutting. Keep the two lengthsseparated. 1

2. ForcesiestructuresTecnologia3rESO 4. Arrange 10 A tubes in a circle. Staple the tubes together as in the drawings, leave 1 cmon both sides of each tube. Repeat this to form the base of the dome. 5. Lay alternating pairs of A tubes and B tubes radiating out from the central circle. 6. Pick up two of the A tubes and form a triangle with them and one of the A tubes fromthe circle. Staple the joints firmly. 7. Do the same thing with the rest of the tube pairs (A tubes and B tubes). You should endup with a circle of triangles poking into the air. Tall triangles should alternate with shorttriangles. 8.Connect the triangles by stapling a row of B tubes across the top. 9. Every point where four B tubes come together, staple on another B tube pointing straightup. 10. Brace the B tubes by using two A tubes, one attached to each adjacent joint. 11. Connect the tubes by stapling a row of A tubes across the top. 12. Finish the dome by adding the last five B tubes. These tubes come from the five joints and meet in the middle. 2 3. Forcesiestructures Tecnologia3rESO Exercici extret de: http://www.yesmag.ca/projects/geodesic.html 3