Geodesic Dome Module

Summary: Students build a Geodesic dome out of newspaper rolls and then test the strength of their dome.

Grade Level Group Size

3rd grade - adult 3 - 6 students per group (with younger

students it is better to have larger groups)

Time Required: Advance Preparation 1 hour per dome

Setup 5 minutes

Lesson 10 minutes

Activity 1 hour

Testing 15 minutes

Cleanup 5 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Objectives: 1. Students are introduced to the structure of a Geodesic dome. 2. Students follow directions and are expected to meet a time deadline. 3. Students work together in a group. 4. Students observe how different shapes have different load carrying capabilities. 5. Students observe and review their structures performance and discuss possible

future revisions to their dome. Colorado Standards: Science:

1. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. 2. Students know and understand common properties, forms, and changes in

matter and energy

2.1 Students know that matter has characteristic properties, which are related to its composition and structure. 2.2 Students know that energy appears in different forms, and can move (be transferred) and change (be transformed).

4. Students know and understand the processes and interactions of Earth’s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space.

4.4 Students know the structure of the solar system, composition and interactions of objects in the universe, and how space in explored.

5. Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world.

6. Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understand common connections among scientific disciplines.

Math:

1. Students develop number sense and use numbers and number relationships in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning used in solving these problems.

4. Students use geometric concepts, properties, and relationships in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning used in solving these problems.

5. Students use a variety of tools and techniques to measure, apply the results in problem-solving situations, and communicate the reasoning used in solving these problems.

English:

1. Students read and understand a variety of materials. 4. Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and

viewing 5. Students read to locate, select, and make use of relevant information from a

variety of media, reference, and technological sources.

Materials: • Lots of Newspaper • Masking tape (2-3 rolls per dome) • Two different colors of colored tape (used to distinguish different lengths of rolls,

for our purposes we have used red and blue) • Scissors • Meter Stick • Weights for dome testing (we use books, magazines, or phone books)

Background Information:

Geodesic Dome: A dome is simply a curved structure that has no angles and no corners. Despite their thin and light weight structures, domes are some of the strongest and stiffest structures in existence today. They can actually enclose an enormous amount of space without the help of a single column. In the 20th-century domes advanced in their

engineering. In the 1950s, the geodesic dome was created. This radical new design changed the way engineers looked at domes for the first time in 2,000 years. Invented by American engineer and architect Buckminster Fuller, the geodesic dome is a partial sphere shape structured from a series of triangles, rather than a series of arches. Today, geodesic domes come in an almost endless variety of shapes and styles.

Vocabulary: Compression: A force that presses or condenses something. Geodesic Dome: A lightweight dome built out of connected triangles. Joint: An intersection where various parts of a structure are connected. Load Bearing: A part of a structure that supports its own weight as well as part or all of the entire structure’s weight. Thus a load bearing wall is one which supports part of the structure in addition to its own weight. Strain: When a physical body is deformed due to a force such as tension or compression. Tension: A force that stretches or lengthens something. Demonstration:

• Square vs. Triangle: create square and triangle shapes using straws and pinning them together at the joints. Have these shapes for the students to be able to touch and put pressure on. Students can see how much stronger a triangle vs. a square is.

Key Questions: Before Testing:

1. Which shape is stronger, a square or triangle? What about a circle?

a. A triangle is stronger than a square. A circle has not joints and cannot disperse a force, thus it is very weak.

2. What shapes are best to build the dome out of? Why? a. Triangles are stronger then squares or circles. Triangles are best to build

with because they disperse weight more evenly than a square or circle. 3. What part of your structure will be the strongest?

a. The base and the joints will be the strongest. After Testing:

4. Did your structure break the way you anticipated? a. Did the middle cave in, did a joint fail, or did a roll break in the middle?

5. What would you do different next time? a. Work together better, tape joints differently, use less/more tape.

6. What would you keep the same? a. Did you work together well, how did you tape the joints, how did you put

the dome segments together? Procedure: Advance Preparation:

1. Stack three flat sheets of newspaper together. Starting in one corner, roll the sheets up together tightly to form a tube. When you reach the other corner, tape the tube to keep it from unrolling. Repeat this step until you have rolled 65 logs of newspapers. We have found that only the Denver Post, the Daily Camera, and the weekend edition of the Rocky Mountain are the best local newspapers to use. (Other newspapers are not big enough or are not a square but rather a rectangle.)

2. Now you will need to cut the rolls on both ends to make 35 long rolls and 30

short rolls. The long rolls are 71 centimeters long, the short rolls are 66 centimeters long. Use colored tape to label the long rolls and the blue rolls. We choose to label the long rolls with red tape and the short rolls with blue tape. (Rolling, cutting, and labeling the newspaper rolls are best done ahead of time for the activity, especially when working with little kids. Rolling 65 rolls of newspaper takes approximately 1 hour for 1 person.)

How to build a Geodesic Dome:

1. Divide the students into groups of 3-6.

2. This activity can be divided into three segments, and the group can either all work together on one segment at a time, or split up and work on different segments. Each segment has its individual directions as follows.

SEGMENT 1: (uses 20 longs and 10 shorts) 3. Tape ten longs together to make a circle,

which will form the base of the dome.

4. Tape a long and a short to each joint. Arrange those so two longs are next to each other and two shorts are next to each other and so on.

5. Tape the tops of the two adjacent shorts together to make a triangle. Tape the next two longs together, and so on all the way around.

SEGMENT 2: (uses 10 longs and 15 shorts)

6. Form another circle out of ten shorts to create the base for the next layer.

7. At every other joint, attach a short sticking straight up.

8. Attach two longs to each short from the joints on either side of the short, forming new triangles.

9. Attach the base of Segment 2 to the top of the triangles of Segment 1. Segment 1’s short triangles should align with Segment 2’s short vertical tubes.

Segment 1 Segment 2

= +

SEGMENT 3: (uses 5 longs and 5 shorts)

10. Create a circle with five longs. Tape a short at each joint (should be 5 shorts) and connect the tips of all of the shorts forming a single point.

11. Connect this final segment to the rest of the dome.

Notes: Handouts: Time Break down for Volunteers Facilitator Checklist Sources:

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/ Zoom Sciences (PBS Kids)