Roots of Unity Obelisk

This piece is a mathematical artwork in my FFT series, which explores the mathematics of vibrations and the Fourier transform, a fundamental mathematical process in science. The obelisk explores the mathematical concept of roots of unity.
A root of unity is a complex number that, when raised to an integer power, yields one. The 2nd, 4th, 8th, 16th, etc. roots of unity are used in the fast Fourier transform (FFT), an essential algorithm in math and science that computes the frequency spectrum of a waveform. The base of the obelisk depicts these power-of-two roots of unity numerically, using glyphs, and graphically, as butterfly-like forms on a unit circle in the complex plane. The X-shaped “butterflies” from the FFT butterfly network diagram span the sides of the obelisk.

Collaboration with David Traylor.