Question

While researching interstellar matter, scientists discovered that 60 carbons could be bonded together in a structure they named Buckminsterfullerene. Scientists worked with models until they found a shape resembling a soccer ball. The model these scientists constructed can be seen below. What function does this model serve in science?

Answer 1

It's more or less a visual hypothesis. The process might work something like this:

(Observation): from mass spec measurements, we see a lot of molecules containing exactly 60 carbon atoms and no H atoms. How is that possible?

(Imagination): Well, if we curve a sheet of graphite into a sphere, and put in some 5-carbon rings, which we know from organic chemistry are pretty stable, we can make a spherical hollow molecule with 60 carbon atoms and no H atoms. Maybe this is it! How can we confirm?

(Reasoning): Well, let us consider observations (like spectroscopy) that may be sensitive to the distance between carbon atoms within the same molecule. We can measure what those distances should be, by looking at our model molecule, and see whether observation confirms them.

(Observation) Do the spectroscopy...

Keep in mind science is a regular cycle of observation-imagination-reasoning. Each component is essential.