0
$\begingroup$

Note: this is cross-posted from MSE.
This question is about the following remark (modified to be self-contained), found in Donald Martin's book on determinacy, page 340. The context is proving agreement between $V$ and some inner model $M$ containing a same extender (although this context doesn't seem to matter). Here, $\kappa$ is a cardinal and $\zeta\geq\kappa$ is any ordinal.

Any function $f:\kappa\to\zeta^+$ can be coded by a wellordering $R$ of $\zeta$ of ordertype sup(range($f$)) and a $\tilde g:\kappa\to \zeta$. The pair $\langle R, \tilde g \rangle$ can be coded by a $g:\kappa\to V_{\zeta+1}$. Such a $g$ can in turn be coded by an element of $V_{\zeta+1}$.

I don't see why the sentences in bold are true. Or more specifically, I don't know how to construct such a coding (Gödel pairing might not work, because we don't know if $\zeta$ is closed under the Gödel pairing function). I'm particularly puzzled by the last statement, that we can code $g:\kappa\to V_{\zeta+1}$ by an element of $V_{\zeta+1}$. The flat pairing construction in the style of Quine seems to only produce a subset of $V_{\zeta+1}$, hence an element of $V_{\zeta+2}$.

The coding referred to in the first sentence is something like this: assume without loss of generality that $f:\kappa\to \zeta^+$ has range bounded by an ordinal $\alpha$ between $\zeta$ and $\zeta^+$. This is okay, because $\zeta^+$ is regular and we can always modify $f$ so that it sends something above $\zeta$. So $\alpha$ is the ordertype of some wellordering $R\subseteq(\zeta\times\zeta)$, and $\alpha$ has cardinality $\zeta$. Furthermore, if $g'$ is a bijection between $\alpha$ and $\zeta$, then we can define $\tilde g:\kappa\to\zeta$ by setting $\tilde g(x)=g'(f(x))$. So given such a wellordering $R$ and function $\tilde g$, we can recover $f$ by asking for the ordertype of $R$, and then seeing the pointwise preimage of $g'$.

$\endgroup$

1 Answer 1

3
$\begingroup$

Fix a flat pairing function $p : V\times V\to V$. For any infinite ordinal $\alpha$, if $S$ is a binary relation on $V_\alpha$, let $A_S = p[S]$, which is an element of $V_{\alpha+1}$ coding $S$. The coding in the second sentence can be implemented by setting $g(0)$ equal $A_R$ and $g(1+\alpha) = \tilde{g}(\alpha)$ for $\alpha < \kappa$. For the third sentence, note that any function $g : V_\zeta\to V_{\zeta+1}$ is coded by the binary relation $R_g = \{(a,b)\in V_\zeta\times V_\zeta : b\in f(a)\}$, which in turn is coded by the set $A_{R_g}\in V_{\zeta+1}$.

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.