Octacube (sculpture)

This article is about the steel sculpture. For other uses of the word, see Octacube.

The Octacube and its designer, Adrian Ocneanu

The Octacube is a large, stainless steel sculpture displayed in the mathematics department of Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA. The sculpture represents a mathematical object called the 24-cell or "octacube". Because a real 24-cell is four-dimensional, the artwork is actually a projection into the three-dimensional world.

Octacube has very high intrinsic symmetry, which matches features in chemistry (molecular symmetry) and physics (quantum field theory).

The sculpture was designed by Adrian Ocneanu [de], a mathematics professor at Pennsylvania State University. The university's machine shop spent over a year completing the intricate metal-work. Octacube was funded by an alumna in memory of her husband, Kermit Anderson, who died in the September 11 attacks.