Comparison

p vs Surface Explorer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

p

Visualize numbers in their real and p-adic completions simultaneously. Explore digits in base p, analyze algebraic numbers, and delve into special functions. Offers a library of examples and is designed for privacy.

Highlights
  • Adelic strip visualization
  • Streaming precision up to 200 digits
  • Analysis of algebraic numbers and polynomials
  • Deep dive into number theory concepts
  • Library of worked examples
  • On-device computation for privacy
Features
Read full description

p-adelic shows a number in all of its completions at once. Type 1/3, √2, a polynomial or log 7 and watch the adelic strip: one column for the real line and one for each prime p, each streaming the number's digits in base p and growing leftward as you turn the precision dial. There is no "p-adic mode" to switch into — you always see the whole picture, the way number theorists think about it. THE STRIP • A column per place: ∞ plus the primes that matter for your input, and any prime you pin. • Streaming precision from 5 to 200 digits; every column updates together. • Exact periodicity for rationals: the repeating block is marked with an overline, and long runs of digits fold into pills you can tap open. • Tap a column to focus it; the focused card shows valuations, unit parts, Legendre symbols and the Laurent form. DEEP DIVE • Digits, Laurent series and Witt-vector views of the same number. • Nested balls: zoom into ℤₚ ball by ball, following your number's digits. • The Bruhat–Tits tree and the Berkovich line of the chosen place. ALGEBRAIC NUMBERS • √d, roots of unity ζₙ, Teichmüller representatives, and any algebraic number given by its minimal polynomial, e.g. algebraic(x³ − 2). • See whether a prime splits, stays inert or ramifies; extend the field with one tap and cycle through the Galois conjugates. POLYNOMIALS • Newton polygons at every prime and at ∞, with slopes, multiplicities and the Krasner check. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS • p-adic exp, log and Artin–Hasse, with their convergence disks. • Factorials with Legendre's formula, Morita's Γₚ with the Wilson check. • Kubota–Leopoldt ζₚ and L-values, Hilbert symbols with the reciprocity check, and Tate's local factors. LEARN AND REUSE • A Library of worked examples for every idea above, from −1 = …(p−1)(p−1)(p−1) to the Berkovich line of ∛2. • History you can reopen with one tap. • VoiceOver describes every visualization; text and digits follow Dynamic Type. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything is computed on your device. The app has no account, no analytics and makes no network connections. For students meeting p-adic numbers for the first time, teachers who want a live picture to point at, and researchers who need a Newton polygon or a Hilbert symbol checked in seconds.

About

Surface Explorer

Features
Read full description

Surface Explorer is a high-performance visualizer for intricate mathematical surfaces — 2D manifolds embedded in three- or four-dimensional space, and 3D slices of four-dimensional hypersurfaces — bringing abstract geometry to life with real-time GPU rendering. KEY FEATURES • Cross Section — slice four-dimensional hypersurfaces and watch their 3D sections change shape as you rotate them in 4D or slide the cutting plane along the fourth axis, even along a 4D camera path. • Ray Marching Engine — real-time rendering of implicit surfaces and signed-distance fields, with procedural displacement, transparency, adjustable shells, and a precise mode for high-degree equations. • Multi-Mesh Surfaces — build figures from several independent grids, set with a single field or a script, each with its own color, transparency, texture, image and domain. • Solid Curve — write a curve in 3D or 4D and see the tube drawn around it, with adjustable thickness; several tubes from a script. • Surface Borders — add a tube along the edges of a parametric surface, with its own color, texture and thickness. • Geodesic Flow — explore intrinsic geometry on curved manifolds (S³, H²×R, SL(2,R) and more), integrating geodesics from initial conditions. • 4D Spatial Exploration — dedicated controls for hyperspatial rotation (Omega, Phi, Psi), projection, and 3D and 4D camera paths. • 4D Lighting Models — Directional, Observer, and Slice lighting designed for hyperspace. • Dynamic GLSL Scripting — write custom shaders for procedural textures and surface logic in the built-in editor. • Backgrounds — images and procedural effects, fixed on screen or wrapped around the scene as a sphere, cylinder or cube. • Audio-Visual Synthesis — synchronize geometric parameters with a mathematical sound synthesizer. • Video Recording — capture your explorations directly in the app and save them to your device. A library of ready-made presets ships with the app, from classic parametric surfaces to black-hole ergospheres, curved-space tori and slices of the 3-torus, together with a searchable built-in manual. Built with Qt and Metal for smooth, native performance on iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

p4 screens
Surface Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Surface Explorer at every 2 weeks against p's every 5 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

p ships an update every 5 months, Surface Explorer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
p versus Surface Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpSurface Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPractically Zen, LLCGAETANO MOSCHETTI

In-app purchases

None

p

No in-app purchases

None

Surface Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is p free?
p is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Surface Explorer free?
Surface Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do p or Surface Explorer have ads?
Neither p nor Surface Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, p or Surface Explorer?
p ships an update every 5 months, and Surface Explorer every 2 weeks. Most recently, p was updated on October 31, 2026 and Surface Explorer on October 21, 2026.

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