A 3D printed Arduino-powered interactive Barth Sextic

Abstract

3D printing is a wonderful way to illustrate mathematics, producing tangible objects and bringing opportunities for engagement beyond digital and print media. By augmenting such objects with additional features, we can make our pieces interactive. This paper describes the techniques and tools used to make a series of 3D prints of the Barth Sextic, a projective surface of degree six, with various features for interactivity. The major electronic additions to our snap-together plastic model are rainbow LED pixels driven by a pair of student-programmed Arduino Pro Mini development boards to visualize the dodecahedral symmetry group.