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Please use this thread to discuss this chapter.

While living with the Inuit in Canada's far North I was fascinated with their frequent use of the sphere and circle. Their igloos or snow houses are always built in the round, ancient rock structures were usually round and many communities have modern structures built this way.

Tyson's chapter 8, On Being Round may have provided me an answer. The Inuit are simply following a naturally occurring force. He tell us that more spheres are found in the universe than any other form. The reason being that physical laws generally favor spheres. Surface tension will reduce the size of spherical objects in all directions. In large cosmic objects like the Earth and other planets, the combination of gravity and energy combine to reduce matter in all directions and create spherical objects. In fact, the greatest sphere is the universe itself which continues to expand in all directions.

LevV, I enjoyed your account of living with the Inuit. Sounds like there might be a book there.

As I read this chapter, when I came to the sentence, "With a diameter-to-thickness ratio of one hundred to one, our galaxy is flatter than the flattest flapjack ever made.", I couldn't help but think "The flat-earthers will have a field day with this." But, of course, there is a big difference in a galaxy and a star or planet. Alas poor earthers, a sphere, even an oblate one, rules the day.

The smoothness of the earth is also fascinating. Mount Everest is the merest pimple of Mother Earth's skin. while the Marianas Trench barely qualifies as a wrinkle. Tyson's analogy to a cue ball is correct. I also once read the if you rolled a cue ball through a puddle of water, the amount that adhered to it would be roughly comparable to all the water in the earth's oceans, rivers and lakes.

LevV wrote:While living with the Inuit in Canada's far North I was fascinated with their frequent use of the sphere and circle. Their igloos or snow houses are always built in the round, ancient rock structures were usually round and many communities have modern structures built this way.

Remember the geodesic dome revolution? I really like the homes built like Buckyballs. They're eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically advanced.
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/geode ... e/?lp=true

Litwitlou wrote:Remember the geodesic dome revolution? I really like the homes built like Buckyballs. They're eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically advanced.

But what are they like to live inside of, I wonder? I have never actually entered one.

I remember once having a room under the eaves of an old house, with sloping ceiling that I sometimes bumped my head on, and dormer windows that were very cool to sit in front of. I liked it a lot, but then, it wasn't in a round building. I wonder.

Harry Marks wrote:But what are they like to live inside of, I wonder? I have never actually entered one.

Youtube has a few hundred sites on geodesic dome houses.

Harry, the short video below will give you some idea of what it's like to live in a geodesic dome.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... dome+homes


On the really, really practical side......
This dome home withstood Ivan's 150 mile an hour winds a few years ago. This may be the way to go as hurricanes become more common and stronger in many areas of the United States.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... dome+house


But for something more affordable:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EWGGPhX0bU

Looks like the inner experience depends a lot on the size.

Thanks, Lev.