Why are triangles such a strong shape to build with?

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Why are triangles such a strong shape to build with?

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8 Answers

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Imagine that you have rectangular pieces of cardboard and you make a triangle by attaching them using pins. If you apply force to any of the joints you’ll notice that the triangle stays a triangle.

However, if you make a rectangle in the same way, and apply a force, you’ll see that it won’t stay a rectangle and instead it will flatten. Notice that if you add another piece of cardboard along a diagonal of the rectangle it will resist deforming.

A triangle is stronger because its geometry prevents its members from moving relative to each other which means it maintains its shape.

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