engineering

Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn

Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn rather than just read about it. In short: The Menno Yoder barn is one of the two remaining poured concrete polygonal barns in the United States state of Indiana. Built on the outskirts of Shipshewana in 1908 by Menno Yoder, this 12-sided barn has been expanded upon.

Key takeaways

Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Menno Yoder barn is one of the two remaining poured concrete polygonal barns in the United States state of Indiana. Built on the outskirts of Shipshewana in 1908 by Menno Yoder, this 12-sided barn has been expanded upon. It is known as the Brown Swiss Dairy barn. A gravel drive extends to the barn, passing the 1911 concrete farmhouse. The polygonal barn consists of the original 1908 12-sided barn, a 1911 attached silo, a c. 1920 rectangular addition, and a 1960s one-story addition. Next to the barn is a freestanding c. 1950 milk house. Cultivated fields lie to the south and west.

Exterior The 12-sided, two-storied structure has a two-pitch sectional gambrel with a metal aerator at the top. The one-story 1960s barn on the northwest side has a gambrel roof that covers the gap between the polygonal barn and the two-story c. 1920 barn behind. The barn is on the southwest side and has a shallow-pitch, gabled roof, which wraps around the barn. A small, rectangular addition on the south side of the barn was erected around 1960. The rectangular barn is two stories tall. All roofs are metal and feature slight overhanging eaves and exposed rafters. Walls of the polygonal barn are of poured concrete, which were never painted or finished. The c. 1920 barn has vertical, wood-sided walls, and the c. 1960 barn has glazed block walls. All foundations are of concrete.

Interior A central drive runs from north to south, connecting the two lower-level doors. On either side are pens for horses and cattle, with four horse stalls on either side at the north end and six cattle stalls on either side at the south end. A small walkway is between the horse and cattle stalls and another walkway next to the outside walls at the south end of the barn. Behind the stalls on both the east- and west sides are smaller open areas with feed alleys that served as low pens for sheep and calves. Additionally, a set of stairs to the upper levelis in the northeast corner of the barn, and a bull stall is in the northwest corner. The upper level consists of a large haymow for the storage of hay and straw, and the roof's system is readily visible. Windows help to provide light to the upper level, where laminated beams serve as the main support between the two different roof sections. Additionally, another laminated beam is placed near the roof's apex to offer support for the metal aerator that successfully ventilates the upper reaches of the barn. The only door on the upper level is the one on the east that is served by the ramp, and the stairs to the lower level are located in the northeast quadrant. The ground level is composed of many pens on either side of a main walkway running north to south. A shorter walkway connects this main walk to the 12-sided barn, with the smaller walk running east–west. The upper floors are open for the storage of hay and straw. The northern barn, being one story, has only attic space above the lower level.

Significance The Yoder Polygonal Barn is one of few masonry barns in the state, and one of only two remaining polygonal concrete structures in Indiana. The barn is an important and direct link to the agricultural development that occurred in the state from 1850 to 1936. The period of significance of the barn is 1908–1936. After 1936, round and polygonal barns were considered obsolete.

Bibliography "A Concrete Barn". The Indiana Farmer, vol. LXV, no. 13, May 8, 1909, p. 2. Hanou, John. Research compiled on Indiana's round and polygonal barns from 1986 to present. Archived at Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, 340 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Intensive architectural survey of Indiana's round and polygonal barns, Conducted June to August 1991, conducted by Jerry McMahan, area wide survey of round and polygonal architectural and historical resources. Rolfe, AL . Two Barns of Unique Design". Country Life, vol. XX, October 1, 1911, pp. 62 and 68. Soike, Lowell J.; Without Right Angles, the Round Barns of Iowa; Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Historical Department, Office of Historic Preservation, 1983. Yoder, Menno S. "A Concrete Barn". The Dakota Farmer, April 15, 1910, pp. 14–15. Yoder, Menno S. "Building a Concrete Silo". The Farmer's Guide, vol. XXIII, no. December 16, 1911, p. 4. Yoder, Menno S. "Twelve-sided Cement Barn". The Farmer's Guide, vol. XX, no. 25, June 20, 1908, p. 1. vol. XX, no., August 21, 1908, p. 7. vol. XX, December 12, 1908, p. 5. Yoder, Menno S. "Yoder's Cement Barn". Hoard's Dairyman, vol. XL, no. 2, January 8, 1919, p. 1355. "Yoder's Stable Plans". vol. XL, no. 11, April 16, 1909, p. l.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn

In research: Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1908 establishments in Indiana, Barns on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana, Buildings and structures completed in 1908, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn in simple terms?

Why does Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn.