Chandelier design geometry problem Please help!

S

Scottlovesboats

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I dont have a cad program or the skills to solve this problem. I am hoping someone here can help me.
I am building a chandelier. It will be a sphere approximately 36 in in diameter I want to cover the surface with aproximately 30 equeal size pieces of glass.
Questions. If the area is divded equealy What shape will the pieces be?
5 sided? 6 sided? or? How many should i use. I can build it with more or less glass plates as necessary.
Thank you.
Scott
 
That's called a tessallation. There are only 3 regular tessallations, I believe: square, triangle, and hexagon(6-sides). I would go with the hexagon. I think it would be more aesthetically pleasing.

The surface area of said sphere with diameter 36 inches would be \(\displaystyle 4{\pi}(18)^{2}=1296{\pi}=4071.5 square inches. If you used 30 pieces, each would have areaof about 135.72 square inches. That means each side of the hexagon would have length of approx. 7.23 inches.

Someone more learned on the subject may give their input.\)
 
Aren't these three tessellations for the plane? I'm not sure how (if?) they would apply to a sphere...?

I'm not sure if spherical triangles would do the trick. (Being math folks, and not engineers or glass-workers, our utility in a real-world project will, naturally, often be minimal. Hiring a qualified professional is almost always the much better, safer, surer option.)

Eliz.
 
Yes, stapel, you are so right. I have cerebral flatulence.
 
You could always go with pentagons surrounded by hexagons like a soccer ball or a buckyball (if you like chemistry). Supposedly for the hexagons to connect evenly with the pentagon, it must pucker a little.
 
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