diff --git a/src/commonTest/kotlin/org/appliedtopology/tda4j/FieldArithmeticSpec.kt b/src/commonTest/kotlin/org/appliedtopology/tda4j/FieldArithmeticSpec.kt
index 7da2a51f..ce2ca4f1 100644
--- a/src/commonTest/kotlin/org/appliedtopology/tda4j/FieldArithmeticSpec.kt
+++ b/src/commonTest/kotlin/org/appliedtopology/tda4j/FieldArithmeticSpec.kt
@@ -4,25 +4,133 @@ import io.kotest.assertions.withClue
 import io.kotest.core.spec.style.StringSpec
 import io.kotest.matchers.equals.shouldBeEqual
 import io.kotest.property.checkAll
-import space.kscience.kmath.operations.BigIntField
-import space.kscience.kmath.operations.DoubleField
-import space.kscience.kmath.operations.Field
+import space.kscience.kmath.operations.algebra
+import kotlin.jvm.JvmInline
+import kotlin.math.roundToInt
 
-fun FiniteField(p: Int) = BigIntField // placeholder stub waiting for an implementation to test
+@JvmInline value class IntModP(val value: Int)
+
+interface FiniteFieldContext
+
+inline operator fun <C : FiniteFieldContext, R> C.invoke(block: (C) -> R): R = block(this)
+
+interface FieldOps<X> {
+    val one: X
+    val zero: X
+
+    fun plus(
+        left: X,
+        right: X,
+    ): X
+
+    fun minus(
+        left: X,
+        right: X,
+    ): X
+
+    fun times(
+        left: X,
+        right: X,
+    ): X
+
+    fun div(
+        left: X,
+        right: X,
+    ): X
+
+    fun compare(
+        left: X,
+        right: X,
+    ): Int
+
+    fun number(x: Int): X
+
+    fun number(x: Double): X
+
+    fun exportToInt(x: X): Int
+}
+
+class FieldC<X>(val delegate: FieldOps<X>) : FiniteFieldContext {
+    val one: X = delegate.one
+    val zero: X = delegate.zero
+
+    inline operator fun X.plus(other: X) = delegate.plus(this@plus, other)
+
+    inline operator fun X.minus(other: X) = delegate.minus(this@minus, other)
+
+    inline operator fun X.times(other: X) = delegate.times(this@times, other)
+
+    inline operator fun X.div(other: X) = delegate.div(this@div, other)
+
+    inline fun X.compareTo(other: X): Int = delegate.compare(this@compareTo, other)
+
+    inline fun number(x: Double): X = delegate.number(x)
+
+    inline fun number(x: Int): X = delegate.number(x)
+
+    inline fun X.toInt(): Int = delegate.exportToInt(this)
+}
+
+class FiniteField(val p: Int) : FieldOps<IntModP> {
+    override val one = IntModP(1)
+    override val zero = IntModP(0)
+
+    fun canonical(x: Int): Int {
+        var value = x % p
+        if (value < 0) {
+            value += p
+        }
+        if (value > (p - 1) / 2) {
+            return (-p) + value % p
+        } else {
+            return value % p
+        }
+    }
+
+    override fun exportToInt(self: IntModP): Int = canonical(self.value)
+
+    override fun plus(
+        left: IntModP,
+        right: IntModP,
+    ): IntModP = IntModP((left.value + right.value) % p)
+
+    override fun minus(
+        left: IntModP,
+        right: IntModP,
+    ): IntModP = IntModP((left.value - right.value) % p)
+
+    override fun times(
+        left: IntModP,
+        right: IntModP,
+    ): IntModP = IntModP((left.value * right.value) % p)
+
+    override fun div(
+        left: IntModP,
+        right: IntModP,
+    ): IntModP = IntModP((left.value / right.value) % p) // this is wrong
+
+    override fun compare(
+        left: IntModP,
+        right: IntModP,
+    ): Int = exportToInt(left).compareTo(exportToInt(right))
+
+    override fun number(x: Int): IntModP = IntModP(canonical(x))
+
+    override fun number(x: Double): IntModP = number(x.roundToInt())
+}
+
+val FiniteField.algebra
+    get() = FieldC(this)
 
 // I'm not at all sure this is how to write a function for this
-fun <T, U : Field<T>> dosomething(
+fun <T, U : FieldC<T>> U.dosomething(
     a: T,
     b: T,
-    field: U,
-): T =
-    with(field) {
-        a - b
-    }
+): T = a - b
 
 class FieldArithmeticSpec : StringSpec({
     "Computing with doubles" {
-        with(DoubleField) {
+        with(Double.algebra) {
             withClue("Should be commutative") {
                 checkAll<Pair<Double, Double>> {
                     val a = number(it.first)
@@ -33,16 +141,16 @@ class FieldArithmeticSpec : StringSpec({
             }
 
             withClue("5+13") {
-                (5 * one + 13 * one).shouldBeEqual(18 * one)
+                (number(5) + number(13)).shouldBeEqual(number(18))
             }
 
             withClue("5-13") {
-                (5 * one - 13 * one).shouldBeEqual(-8 * one)
+                (number(5) - number(13)).shouldBeEqual(number(-8))
             }
 
-            withClue("calling a function") {
-                dosomething(5 * one, 13 * one, this).shouldBeEqual(-8 * one)
-            }
+//            withClue("calling a function") {
+//                dosomething(number(5), number(13)).shouldBeEqual(number(-8))
+//            }
 
             withClue("Converting to a string should give the normalized range") {
                 (3 * one).toString().shouldBeEqual("3.0")
@@ -53,7 +161,8 @@ class FieldArithmeticSpec : StringSpec({
     }
 
     "Computing with finite fields" {
-        with(FiniteField(17)) {
+        val ff17 = FiniteField(17)
+        with(ff17.algebra) {
             withClue("Should be commutative") {
                 checkAll<Pair<Int, Int>> {
                     val a = number(it.first)
@@ -64,21 +173,25 @@ class FieldArithmeticSpec : StringSpec({
             }
 
             withClue("5+13") {
-                (5 * one + 17 * one).shouldBeEqual(1 * one)
+                val a = number(5)
+                val b = number(13)
+                val x = a + b
+                x + x
+                (number(5) + number(13)).shouldBeEqual(one)
             }
 
             withClue("5-13") {
-                (5 * one - 17 * one).shouldBeEqual(9 * one)
+                (number(5) - number(13)).toInt().shouldBeEqual(number(9).toInt())
             }
 
             withClue("calling a function") {
-                dosomething(5 * one, 13 * one, this).shouldBeEqual(9 * one)
+                dosomething(number(5), number(13)).toInt().shouldBeEqual(number(9).toInt())
             }
 
             withClue("Converting to a string should give the normalized range") {
-                (3 * one).toString().shouldBeEqual("3u")
-                (-3 * one).toString().shouldBeEqual("-3u")
-                (14 * one).toString().shouldBeEqual("-3u")
+                number(3).toString().shouldBeEqual("IntModP(value=3)")
+                number(-3).toString().shouldBeEqual("IntModP(value=-3)")
+                number(14).toString().shouldBeEqual("IntModP(value=-3)")
             }
         }
     }