1. Forces i estructures Tecnologia 3r ESO
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, they’re 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. Vancouver’s
Science World is a 47-metre tall geodesic dome made of
766 triangles.
Materials
• Newspaper (65 sheets)
• Doweling or broom handle
• Tape
• Marker pen
• Stapler (and staples)
• Measuring tape
Instructions
1. Open up a sheet of newspaper. Roll the newspaper around the doweling diagonally from
one 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 (type
A) and 30 tubes measuring 58 cm. (type B). Use the marker pen to put a mark on the
longer newspaper tubes. So get busy rolling, measuring, and cutting. Keep the two lengths
separated.
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2. Forces i estructures Tecnologia 3r ESO
4. Arrange 10 A tubes in a circle. Staple the tubes together as in the drawings, leave 1 cm
on 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 from
the circle. Staple the joints firmly.
7. Do the same thing with the rest of the tube pairs (A tubes and B tubes). You should end
up with a circle of triangles poking into the air. Tall triangles should alternate with short
triangles.
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 straight
up.
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.
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3. Forces i estructures Tecnologia 3r ESO
Exercici extret de: http://www.yesmag.ca/projects/geodesic.html
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