Buckminster Fuller & Geodesic Domes

Science Club weeks 2 & 3 are follow up to our week 1 disaster. We are learning about the work of Buckminster Fuller and his Geodesic Domes.

The combination of curve and triangle in dome structures makes them strong and stable during an earthquake. Dome houses are also economical and environmentally friendly, requiring only a small amount of materials.

According to Buckminster Fuller: Poet of Geometry by Cole Gerst, Fuller's personal Dome Home in Carbondale IL "took only seven hours to build."

The American Institute of Architects calls the geodesic dome “the strongest, lightest and most efficient means of enclosing space known to man.” (pacificdomes.com)

Preparation:

straws - Perfect Stix 20" Extra Long Neon Straws - Pack of 300

35 straws, 20 inches long

30 straws, cut to 17.5 inches

the long straws make up the 6-stars (blue) and the 5-stars (red)
the short straws are the bridges between them (yellow)

paper clips - enough to make the three following types of connectors

a huge thank you to the creator of DesertDomes.com!

the connectors slide inside the straws to hold them together, as shown below

Buckminster Fuller Book Display

Buckminster Fuller: Poet of Geometry
by Cole Gerst

Cosmic Fishing: An Account of Writing Synergetics With Buckminster Fuller
by E.J. Applewhite

Fuller's Earth: A Day With Buckminster Fuller and the Kids
by Richard J. Brenneman

Buckminster Fuller to Children of Earth
compiled and photographed by Cam Smith

also

Mortensen material Basic Operations Kit
(to demonstrate Richter Scale)

Earth: By the Numbers by Steve Jenkins

Activities:

review last week's disaster

explain Richter Scale and demonstrate with a math material to scale

level 1 - 1

level 2 - 10

level 3 - 100

level 4 - 1000

level 5 - 10,000

imagine level 6 - ten 10,000s

imagine level 7 - a hundred 10,000s

imagine level 8 - a thousand 10,000s

imagine level 9 - ten thousand 10,000s!!!

a level 6 would be ten of these 10,000 squares!

recall the destruction in the 1811 New Madrid Earthquake (8.1)

look at Earthquakes infographic in Earth: By the Numbers, pp.14-15

read excerpts from Buckminster Fuller: Poet of Geometry

use straws and paper clip connectors to build a geodesic dome

DOME NOTES

As part of a Housebuilding summer camp in August 2018, my three daughters successfully built a geodesic dome with these straws:

I could never have done it without Natalie and Leah!

This year we were determined to do it again. And so I am going to take VERY detailed notes as to how to be successful!

We had a lot of questions. Do you make the stars first (some with 5 spokes and some with 6)? Do you start at the top and work your way down? Do you start at the bottom and work your way up? Do you make all the connectors first or construct them as you need them?

As soon as my students and I figure this out, I will write it up!

Articles & Links:

10 Largest Earthquakes Ever Recorded
usgs.gov

Many thanks to desertdomes.com for help with the math. This is an amazing website which helps you build your own geodesic dome. Simply put in the radius of the dome you wish to build, and it will tell you how long to make your struts and how many of each length you will need, plus how many connectors of each type you will need.

Field Trip:

Buckminster Fuller's Carbondale Dome Home
407 S. Forest Avenue, Carbondale IL

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!