Buckminster Fuller

[Turtle]

___I now have embarked on re-reading Synergetics on-line :) ; this fits well with my disacquisition of books. :eek:

___In regard to the comment in post #14 that Fuller never mentioned chemistry, I have already found it untrue: :) http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/plates/figs/plate04z.html The text below the diagram specifically mentions chemists & chemistry & both in regard to their mistaken views on the symmetry of atoms & molecules. :)

___Whether you have read Fuller's Synergetics or not, I invite everyone to read along with me; participation in discovery is the best science so let's discover Buckminster Fuller again for the first time. I have read from the beginning through the section titled Humans In Universe. :)

[Turtle]

___Today I read from 100.00 through 100.21 in the online edition of Synergetics. Fascinating reading once again. Below an out-take of Fuller's description of the human senses; section 100.20.

 

Human Sense Awareness INFRARED THRESHOLD

(Only micro-instrument-apprehensible)

Tactile: Preponderantly sensing the crystalline and triple-bonded atom-and- molecule state, including all the exclusively infraoptical frequency ranges of the electromagnetic wave spectrum's human receptivity from cold "solids" through to the limit degrees of heat that are safely (nonburningly) touchable by human flesh.

Olfactoral: Preponderantly sensing the liquid and double-bonded atom-and- molecule state, including all of the humanly tunable ranges of the harmonic resonances of complex chemical liquid substances.

Aural: Preponderantly sensing the gaseous and single-bonded atom-and- molecule state, including all ranges of humanly tunable simple and complex resonance harmonics in gasses.

Visual: Preponderantly sensing the radiantly deflecting-reflecting, unbonding- rebonding, atom-and-molecule energy export states, including all ultratactile, humanly-tune-in-able, frequency ranges of electromagnetic wave phenomena."

 

___I still find it curious none of you science folk have voiced your opinion on the scientific content & value of Fuller's geometrics (other than UncleAl ;) ) So again; what gives? ;)

[Dark Mind]

...___I continue to invite your posts on Fuller; to the young people, have you even heard of him? To the rest, have you ever read him? If not, why? If so, do you find his work cogent? More to read! ;)

Sorry never heard of him... Will begin to read and discover along with you later tonight ;).

 

I'm sixteen and I recommend Fuller to all "younger people" ;).

[Dark Mind]

...___I still find it curious none of you science folk have voiced your opinion on the scientific content & value of Fuller's geometrics (other than UncleAl ;) ) So again; what gives? ;)

Does UncleAl count? ;)

 

So again, starting tonight ;).

[Turtle]

___Everyone counts. :rant:

___I have read through section 100.30 now. Fuller laid a foundation for a corpuscular view of "somethings", established the tetrahedron as the minimum stable structure of a "something", & now begins the disections of the tetrahedron into component parts which in their rearrangements form cubes, dodecahedra, & other geometric solids.

___I may have to make some little paper models for myself to better get a handle on this. :eek:

[Buffy]

Fuller...established the tetrahedron as the minimum stable structure of a "something"....

Sounds Principia Mathematica-like: spending hundreds of pages just to get to "1+1=2"... Have you ever sat on a one or two-legged stool? They're the only structures with fewer parts than a tetrahedron (a three-legged stool for those of you who are not topologists or geometers), and they're obviously not very stable.... This is why I think lots of folks have trouble absorbing Bucky....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[Turtle]

___Indeed; but a journey worth taking. I go at a turtle's pace so following me is not inherently dangerous. I have my first little paper tetrahedron now & a few more laid out. I have the pattern I used in the Science Gallery/Member's Categories/Turtle:

http://hypography.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=415&c=3

___I plan to try chopping them up as Bucky describes in order to better see for myself. No worries. :rant:

[Buffy]

I go at a turtle's pace so following me is not inherently dangerous.

Yeah, normally, but infamous is behind me in his hot rod and I'm not sure about the state of his brake pads....

 

Tetrahedra are fun! So are Icosahedra (can you make one out of tetrahedra? do they tesselate in 3-D?). I like truncated polyhedra too: try truncating your tetrahedra while you're at it....

 

Polymorphically,

Buffy

[Turtle]

Yeah, normally, but infamous is behind me in his hot rod and I'm not sure about the state of his brake pads....

 

Tetrahedra are fun! So are Icosahedra (can you make one out of tetrahedra? do they tesselate in 3-D?). I like truncated polyhedra too: try truncating your tetrahedra while you're at it....

 

Polymorphically,

Buffy

 

___No problem on the braking if we widen the road. :rant:

___I haven't managed through all the reconstructions of polyhedra Fuller exposits as I still haven't fully explored the disections. I do recall he has mentioned the truncated tetrahedron in one of the diagrams. Also, they made one of crystal, frosted some faces, & when you look inside it you see an icosahedron.

http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/s01/figs/f00120.html

____I didn't mean to imply above I read the Principia Mathematica; I have read exerpts & studied the calculus in texts that refer to it. Fuller in his Synergetics does not take 100 pages to get to the geometry. It's a little hard to tell how many pages on the online version, but I'd say no more than 15 pages to get us to the tetrahedron.

___One other point Fuller makes in the begiining of the work is an argument for adopting a generalist approach as opposed to a specialist approach. As a generalist myself, I like it very much & I suspect the specialists feel otherwise. I start to get the sense this may have some bearing on Fuller's lack of popularity.

[Buffy]

I didn't mean to imply above I read the Principia Mathematica; I have read exerpts & studied the calculus in texts that refer to it....

Anyone who claims they have read all of it is either a liar or has a doctorate in mathematics....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[Dark Mind]

:rant:

[Turtle]

___So I have 3 paper tetrahera & one disected in the manner of the rightmost illustration here:

http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/s01/figs/f00103.html

___Usually after this much cutting with an Exacto blade I have a severe laceration somewhere on the left hand. :rant: I procede with the turtle's caution & the spider's intent. :eek:

[Turtle]

___As I proceded with my paper disections, I thought double perpendicular bisections of the regular tetrahedron yielded the dissections here:

http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/s09/figs/f1301.html

It is not the case.

___I seem to recall not getting this diagram well when I first read this years ago; I do now. What I posted in the Science Gallery & called a "paper pattern" , Fuller calls a "planar net". The diagram linked to above has the planar net (paper pattern) to build a specific irregular tetrahedron called "A Quanta Module". The disections leading to this do however run along the perpendicular equators, whose intersection all of the A Quanta Modules share. :) I may not have the patience to print, cut out & fold the 24 required to build a regular tetrahedron, but I see it now.

___If you do have the patience, note that 12 lefts & 12 rights of the A Quanta Module make the regular tetrahedron; fold 12 planar nets with the lettering inside & the other 12 with the lettering outside to get the left/right correct. :)

 

PS I did take the time to print,cut, fold & assemble 1 A Quanta module. I added tabs to the planar net before I cut, & used glue rather than tape to hold it together. It's worth the time. :lol:

[Turtle]

___OK, synergetics is now one of my bona fide obsessions; for how long is another question. If the admin team thinks another forum other than watercooler?; it's a tough call. Philosopher, archtiecht, mathematician, ecological ephemeralism advocate, etc..

____Anyway, I realized that if you leave off triangle (face) ACD & then assemble the planar net (papier pattern), you have a little hollow mold. Properly supported, you only have to press clay in & scrape it flush, then pop out an A Quanta module! Make 24 such "bricks" & you may assemble a regular tetrahedron. (Make 1 left mold & 1 right mold)

___I have peeked ahead a bit, usually directed by the text to a diagram, & even sticking with this regularly, it's going to take a while. I f I need the set of 24 A Quanta modules somwhere ahead, I know how to make them now. :lol:

[Buffy]

If the admin team thinks another forum other than watercooler?; it's a tough call. Philosopher, archtiecht, mathematician, ecological ephemeralism advocate, etc..

Heck I'd argue that we really need a "Turtle Forum".... :lol:

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[infamous]

___OK, synergetics is now one of my bona fide obsessions; for how long is another question. If the admin team thinks another forum other than watercooler?; it's a tough call. Philosopher, archtiecht, mathematician, ecological ephemeralism advocate, etc..

:lol:

Hey, how about a forum devoted to: Great Visionaries of the Past or Present.

[Turtle]

___I don't mean to suggest a new forum, rather as the discussion is currently more geometry, I thought maybe it belonged in Math/Physics. No matter; I think this Watercooler is fine.

___Searching Fuller on the web generates a tortuous amount of input, most of it people saying what they think of Fuller, less of it what Fuller himself said. To heck with all that. "Just the facts mam" - Joe Friday.

___Is this hard reading? You betcha. Does the style & content polarize people? Roger. Is it still worth reading because this guy sees things others don't? Absolutely. If you plan to attack a generalist, you better come with a lot of contradictory specifics.

___I see reading this work again is a considerable project, but at a turtle's pace all my projects go slow. Nothing is not connected so I have to stop & correlate the new concepts to the Katabataks & other projects I have ongoing.

___Any of you reading Synergetics, feel free to post observations on the specific material. Buffy, as always, I bow in your general direction. :lol: Infamous & Dark Mind, ditto. :)