What makes a dome so strong?
The Dome's Curve Trick
What makes a dome so strong?
You've probably seen domes everywhere — on big buildings, stadiums, even igloos. They look simple, just a smooth curve arcing up and over. But here's the puzzle: a dome has no beams holding it up from inside, no columns in the middle. So what's stopping it from collapsing under its own weight?
To understand domes, start with an arch. An arch is really just half a dome, sliced vertically. When you stack stones into an arch shape, something surprising happens. Push down on the top, and instead of crumbling, the arch squeezes itself tighter. The weight turns into a pushing force that travels down the curve, stone pressing against stone, all the way to the ground.
