Why triangles are the strongest shape

Thinking about Geometry Bigger picture Triangles are the strongest shape Add to your resource collection Remove from your resource collection Add notes to this resource View your notes for this resource. The Platonic solids What can be said about non-convex polyhedra? Previous Next. Tags History. Station Thinking about Geometry. Lines Geometry.

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Geometry and architecture are linked fundamentally, and by understanding the form of the triangle, architects provide the support they need to a developing structure. A-frame homes, truss bridges, and geodesic domes rely on triangles to create a durable structure. The smallest polygon is the strongest polygon, and the number of structures relying on the strength of the triangle prove that. As an amateur architect, you can create vast structures using triangles.

Triangles are one amazing shape! You can test the strength of a triangle today by building your own truss bridge! Equilateral triangle, and from the middle of each side, one were to place an interior frame board, spanning from each center of the exterior sides to the next, so that now, the triangle has is segmented into four triangles.

How much stronger has the triangle become? But this doesn't mean that they are not important! A triangle is a three-sided polygon and comes in a variety of flavours. Some are to do with the length of the triangle's sides: equilateral — where all the sides and all the angles are the same size; isosceles — where two of the sides and two of the angles are the same size; and scalene — where none of the sides or angles are the same.

The angles inside the triangle are also important. And of course you can get right-angled triangles — one of the most important mathematical shapes inspiring Pythagoras' Theorem and trigonometry.

But triangles aren't just mathematically significant, they are also fundamental to the way we build our environments, both physical and virtual.