geodesic dome

The geodesic dome was invented by architect and engineer Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) in the 1940s. A geodesic line is the shortest distance between two points across a surface. If that surface is curved, a geodesic line across it will usually be curved as well. Any geodesic line on the surface of a sphere constitutes part of a great circle (a great circle is circle drawn on a sphere, so that the circle and the sphere share a common center point).

A geodesic dome is a lightweight structure, combining the structural properties of the sphere with those of the triangle, and based on the principle of geodesic lines. Specifically, it is formed by a series of great circles, running in three directions, which form a continuous pattern of triangles where they intersect.