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12 votes
4 answers
1k views

Is this theory synonymous with PA?

Language: Mono-sorted first order logic with equality. Extralogical Primitives: $<, \in$ Define: $x \leq y \iff x < y \lor x=y$ $\textbf{Well ordering: }\\\textit{Transitive:} \ x < y \land ...
Zuhair Al-Johar's user avatar
42 votes
7 answers
3k views

How would one even begin to try to prove that a simple number-theoretic statement is undecidable?

This question is closely related to this one: Knuth's intuition that Goldbach might be unprovable. It stems from my ignorance about non-standard models of arithmetic. In a comment on the other ...
gowers's user avatar
  • 29k
30 votes
2 answers
3k views

Even XOR Odd Infinities?

Modular Arithmetic (MA) has the same axioms as first order Peano Arithmetic (PA) except $\forall x (Sx \ne 0)$ is replaced with $\exists x(Sx = 0)$. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peano_axioms#First-...
Russell Easterly's user avatar
22 votes
5 answers
1k views

What is the spectrum of possible cofinality types for cuts in an ordered field? Or in a model of the hyperreals? Or in a nonstandard model of arithmetic?

I am interested to know the full range of possibilities for the cofinality type of cuts in an ordered field and in other structures, such as nonstandard models of arithmetic. Definitions. ...
Joel David Hamkins's user avatar
19 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is platonism regarding arithmetic consistent with the multiverse view in set theory?

A "truth" platonist for arithmetic believes, given a statement in the language of arithmetic, that the problem whether the statement is true has a definite answer. Prof. Hamkins has argued for a ...
AEWARG's user avatar
  • 261
16 votes
2 answers
2k views

Could Kronecker accept a proof of Goodstein's theorem?

A famous result of Goodstein asserts that the Goodstein sequence of integers terminates. For a precise statement and a short proof, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodstein%27s_theorem. A well ...
Piotr Hajlasz's user avatar
15 votes
5 answers
2k views

In what sense does the sentence $\operatorname{con}(\mathsf{PA})$ "say" that $\mathsf{PA}$ is consistent?

It seems common amongst logicians to think of "truth" as being relative to a particular structure. Consider, for instance, the first-order theory of groups. The sentence $\forall x\forall y(...
Joe Lamond's user avatar
43 votes
1 answer
2k views

Do the analogies between metamathematics of set theory and arithmetic have some deeper meaning?

By "formal analogies" between the metamathematics of $\mathsf{ZFC}$/set theory and $\mathsf{PA}$(=Peano Arithmetic)/first order arithmetic, I mean facts such as the following: We are considering a ...
Gro-Tsen's user avatar
  • 32.5k
32 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can we interpret arithmetic in set theory, with exactly PA as the ZFC provable consequences?

There are many interpretations of arithmetic in set theory. The Zermelo interpretation, for example, begins with the empty set and applies the singleton operator as successor: $$0=\{\ \}$$ $$1=\{0\}$$ ...
Joel David Hamkins's user avatar
29 votes
10 answers
4k views

Defining the standard model of PA so that a space alien could understand

First, some context. In one of the comments to an answer to the recent question Why not adopt the constructibility axiom V=L? I was directed to some papers of Nik Weaver at this link, on ...
Pace Nielsen's user avatar
  • 18.7k
1 vote
1 answer
313 views

What is the set theory synonymous with this order-set theory?

Let $ T$ be a theory written in Mono-sorted first order logic with equality, with extralogical primitives: $<, \in$. Define: $x \leq y \iff x < y \lor x=y$ Axioms: $\textbf{Well ordering: }\\\...
Zuhair Al-Johar's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
369 views

Is this extension of the projectively extended real line, consistent?

This posting has been Edited. The edited material shall be noted. The projectively extended real line $\hat {\mathbb R}= \mathbb R \cup \{\infty\}$ is one system which allows division by zero! Yet it ...
Zuhair Al-Johar's user avatar
27 votes
5 answers
4k views

What is induction up to $\varepsilon_0$?

This is a question asked out of curiosity, and because I can't understand the Wikipedia page. I have often been told that PA cannot prove the validity of induction up to $\varepsilon_0$, which has ...
David E Speyer's user avatar
16 votes
2 answers
1k views

How special is first-order $\mathsf{PA}$?

This is a modified version of a question which was asked and bountied at MSE without success. Below, "$\mathsf{PA}$" refers to first-order Peano arithmetic. There are various "...
Noah Schweber's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
3k views

Incompleteness and nonstandard models of arithmetic

The following are a collection of doubts, some of which shall have concrete answers while others may have not. Any kind of help will be welcome. Reading Peter Smith's "Gödel Without (Too Many) Tears",...
Marc Alcobé García's user avatar
8 votes
0 answers
1k views

What's Reeb's take on naive integers?

Georges Reeb's "claim Q" is the statement that "naive integers don't fill up $\mathbb{N}$". To anyone familiar with model theory this could easily be interpreted as the existence of nonstandard models ...
Mikhail Katz's user avatar
  • 16.6k
6 votes
3 answers
1k views

Set theory inside arithmetics via the Ackermann yoga

Among the basic results of logic which, simple as they are, never fail to intrigue me, is Ackermann's interpretation of ZF-Infinity in PA (see for refs this MO question and here for an excellent ...
Mirco A. Mannucci's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
727 views

What is the consistency strength of this theory?

Language: first-order logic Primitives: $=, S, \in $ (the first denotes identity, the second denotes “is a successor of”, and the third denotes membership relation). Axioms: those of identity ...
Zuhair Al-Johar's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
382 views

Formal systems needed to formalize relative independence results

We know that Con(ZF) implies Con(ZFC+GCH), Con(ZF+neg(AC)) and Con(ZFC+neg(CH)). But what are some weak theories in which these relative independence results are provable? In particular, are they ...
Jesse Elliott's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

Are there first-order statements that second order PA proves that first order PA does not?

Are there first-order statements that second order PA proves that first order PA does not? Is this known one way or the other? Could you share an example? (edit: to clarify, by 'second order PA' I don'...
pathway's user avatar
  • 117
2 votes
1 answer
142 views

Does $WKL_0$ plus CON(PA+X) give a binary tree model of PA+X?

In the context of reverse mathematics $WKL_0$ is considered equivalent to Gödel's completeness theorem over $RCA_0$. Does this mean that e.g. $WKL_0$ plus the consistency statement CON(PA+X) gives a ...
Frode Alfson Bjørdal's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
213 views

Is there an effective way to generalize this approach of affinely extending the number line?

The general approach here is a follow up of the approach outlined in a prior posting on extending the projectively extended real line. In particular arithmetic operators break down to ternery ...
Zuhair Al-Johar's user avatar