Angles of a Single Factor Geodesic Dome

Geodesic

• "Geodesic" is a geometric term that refers to the shortest distance between two points. In two-dimensional plane geometry this distance is expressed as a straight line. When transferred to the surface of a sphere the shortest path actually becomes a curved line across the surface of the globe. Practical applications of this math property are practiced by airline pilots every time they fly from New York to London, for the shortest distance between the two cities lies in a northerly arc that almost touches Iceland.

Buckminster's Fuller's Geodesic dome

• Geodesic domes originated from covering the surface of a sphere with equilateral triangles. When doing this they found out that the surface of this type of three-dimensional shape will hold precisely 20 of these two-dimensional triangular shapes. Furthermore and most importantly, a sphere-like structure can be built by using 20 triangular-shaped surface linked together to form an even-sided three-dimensional object called an icosahedron.

Octahedron

• The Icosahedron is no longer considered to be the simplest solid geodesic form. That honor goes to a shape called an octahedron, which essentially consists of two four-sided pyramids joined together at the base. This shape is referred to as a 1V structure and has a total of eight triangular faces. Next in line is the 2V structure, whose complete solid form contains 16 faces. Geodesic solids are rated in three classes ranging from 1V up to 3V.

Domes and Spheres

• Domes are considered to be a part of the sphere. Actual real-life examples of a full geodesic sphere are rare, but one very large and prominent structure can be found at the Disney Epcot Center in Florida. Most geodesic domes contain less than 50 percent of a full sphere. The simplest Class I geodesic dome is actually a four-sided pyramid where all faces consist of triangles with three 60 degree angles. Within these triangles in any geodesic form the angles are consistent at 60 degrees. In the simplest of all geodesic domes, the octahedron, the single changeable factor of angles between each plane is 90 degrees. This number decreases as the number of facets increases.