How Do You Make A Buckyball With Jewelry Beads?
A buckyball is the nickname for a single molecule of Buckminsterfullerene, a very strong three-dimensional structure made of carbon atoms formed into pentagons, hexagons, or a combination of the two. Buckyballs look very similar to soccer balls and were named after famed architect Buckminster Fuller and his design for geodesic domes. The simplest form for buckyballs is a 12-sided figure called a dodecahedron, which would be familiar to anyone who has ever played Dungeons & Dragons with a d12 die. Learning how to make a buckyball with jewelry beads is a simple and easy project, and the resulting beaded buckyball makes a nifty gift for any fan of physics (or role playing games). String five beads onto a length of beading wire. Loop the wire around so the beads form a pentagon. Twist the ends of the wire together tightly, making sure to keep the pentagonal shape intact, then snip off the excess wire with the pliers. Using the rest of the beads five at a time, make a total of 12 pentagons.
