Surface Explorer — Multi-Variable Function Visualizer

An interactive Tkinter application for visualizing multi-variable functions. Pick variable values on the left panel and watch the resulting plot update in real-time on the right.

Features

• Dynamic number of variables: Set any n ≥ 1
• Interactive variable pickers: Click on 2D plots to pick values for pairs of variables
• Real-time updates: Plots update instantly as you change variables
• Multiple plot types:
  • n = 1: 2D line plot of x₁ vs f(x₁)
  • n = 2: 3D surface plot of f(x₁, x₂)
  • n ≥ 3: Final variable plot (3D surface for even n, line graph for odd n)
• Scrollable variable panel: Easily access all variable pickers for large n
• Custom functions: Enter any mathematical expression using standard Python/numpy syntax

Usage

1. Set the number of variables (n)
2. Enter a function of x₁, x₂, ..., xₙ
3. Click the Update button or press Enter
4. Pick values for variables using the 2D plots on the left
5. Adjust the z/w ranges in the right panel to zoom in/out

Function Syntax

Use standard Python/numpy functions:

sqrt(x1**2 + x2**2 + x3**2 + x4**2)
sin(x1) * cos(x2) + exp(-x3**2)
x1*x2*x3*x4 / (1 + x1**2 + x2**2 + x3**2 + x4**2)

Available functions: sin, cos, tan, exp, log, log10, sqrt, abs, sinh, cosh, tanh, arcsin, arccos, arctan, log2, ceil, floor, maximum, minimum, pow, pi, e

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• tkinter
• numpy
• matplotlib

Installation

git clone https://github.com/fredjt/surface-explorer.git
cd surface-explorer
python surface_explorer.py