In this paper I will communicate some new consequences of the Proper Forcing Axiom. First, the Bounded Proper Forcing Axiom implies that there is a well ordering of ℝ which is Σ1-definable in (H(ω2), ϵ). Second, the Proper Forcing Axiom implies that the class of uncountable linear orders has a five element basis. The elements are X, ω1, , C, C * where X is any suborder of the reals of size ω1 and C is any Countryman line. Third, the Proper Forcing Axiom implies the Singular Cardinals Hypothesis at k unless stationary subsets of reflect. The techniques are expected to be applicable to other open problems concerning the theory ofH(ω2).

In this article we examine the natural interpretation of a ramified type hierarchy into Martin-Löf type theory with an infinite sequence of universes. It is shown that under this predicative interpretation some useful special cases of Russell’s reducibility axiom are valid, namely functional reducibility. This is sufficient to make the type hierarchy usable for development of constructive mathematical analysis in the style of Bishop. We present a ramified type theory suitable for this purpose. One may regard the results of this article as an alternative solution to the problem of the proliferation of levels of real numbers in Russell’s theory, which avoids impredicativity, but instead imposes constructive logic. The intuitionistic ramified type theory introduced here also suggests that there is a natural associated notion of predicative elementary topos.

We introduce a way of relativizing operational set theory that also takes care of application. After presenting the basic approach and proving some essential properties of this new form of relativization we turn to the notion of relativized regularity and to the system OST (LR) that extends OST by a limit axiom claiming that any set is element of a relativized regular set. Finally we show that OST (LR) is proof-theoretically equivalent to the well-known theory KPi for a recursively inaccessible universe.

We study ordered groups in the context of both algebra and computability. Ordered groups are groups that admit a linear order that is compatible with the group operation. We explore some properties of ordered groups and discuss some related topics. We prove results about the semidirect product in relation to orderability and computability. In particular, we give a criteria for when a semidirect product of orderable groups is orderable and for when a semidirect product is computably categorical. We also give an example of a semidirect product that has the halting set coded into its multiplication structure but it is possible to construct a computable presentation of this semidirect product.

We examine a family of orderable groups that admit exactly countably many orders and show that their space of orders has arbitrary finite Cantor–Bendixson rank. Furthermore, this family of groups is also shown to be computably categorical, which in particular will allow us to conclude that any computable presentation of the groups does not admit any noncomputable orders. Lastly, we construct an example of an orderable computable group with no computable Archimedean orders but at least one computable non-Archimedean order.

Abstract prepared by Waseet Kazmi.

E-mail: [email protected]

URL: http://hdl.handle.net/11134/20002:860745910

We suggest a new approach for addressing the problem of establishing an axiomatic foundation for large cardinals. An axiom asserting the existence of a large cardinal can naturally be viewed as a strong Axiom of Infinity. However, it has not been clear on the basis of our knowledge of ω itself, or of generally agreed upon intuitions about the true nature of the mathematical universe, what the right strengthening of the Axiom of Infinity is—which large cardinals ought to be derivable? It was shown in the 1960s by Lawvere that the existence of an infinite set is equivalent to the existence of a certain kind of structure-preserving transformation from V to itself, not isomorphic to the identity. We use Lawvere's transformation, rather than ω, as a starting point for a reasonably natural sequence of strengthenings and refinements, leading to a proposed strong Axiom of Infinity. A first refinement was discussed in later work by Trnková–Blass, showing that if the preservation properties of Lawvere's tranformation are strengthened to the point of requiring it to be an exact functor, such a transformation is provably equivalent to the existence of a measurable cardinal. We propose to push the preservation properties as far as possible, short of inconsistency. The resulting transformation V → V is strong enough to account for virtually all large cardinals, but is at the same time a natural generalization of an assertion about transformations V → V known to be equivalent to the Axiom of Infinity.

We present a survey of some results and problems concerning constructions which require a diagonalization of length continuum to be carried out, particularly constructions of almost disjoint families of various sorts. We emphasize the role of cardinal invariants of the continuum and their combinatorial characterizations in such constructions.