Fig. 762.01

Fig. 762.01 Chordal Ricochet Pattern in Stretch Action of a Balloon Net: A gas balloon's exterior tension "net" has the shape that it has because some of the molecules are too large to escape and, crowed by the other molecules, are hitting the balloon. But the molecules do not huddle together at the center and then simultaneously explode outwardly to hit the balloon skin in one omnidirectionally outbound wave. The molecules near the surface are coursing in chordally ricocheting patterns all around the inner net's surface. I therefore saw that__because every action has its reaction__it would be possible to pair all the molecules so that they would behave as can two swimmers who dive into a swimming tank from opposite ends, meet in the middle and then, employing each other's inertia, shove off from each other's feet in opposite directions.

Copyright © 1997 Estate of R. Buckminster Fuller