2022: Constructibility

Suggested Readings

The lectures

The lectures are being recorded and are stored in this Vimeo showcase (easy password: 71RT).
2022-09-12: History and Axioms
A short description of the beginnings of Set Theory and a discussion of Zermelo's Axioms.
Material
2022-09-19: The Axioms as they are now.
The first few axioms, as they appear in Kunen's book. With Skolem's formulation of what Zermelo called a `definite property': describable using a well-formed formula in the language of Set Theory.
2022-09-26: More Axioms
How various familiar notions, especially relations and functions (or maps), work in Set Theory. Well-orders and the Axiom of Choice \(\mathsf{AC}\).
2022-10-03: Ordinals
Zermelo's proof of the Well-Ordering Theorem. Ordinals and their role as standard well-ordered sets.
2022-10-10: More ordinals
Ordinal arithmetic. Induction and Recursion.
2022-10-17: Cardinalities and Cardinals
Cardinalities: comparison by way of injective and bijective maps. Cardinals: special ordinal numbers that assign a `number of elements' to well-orderable sets. Definition of finiteness.
2022-10-24: Arithmetic and Foundation
Cardinal arithmetic and the continuum function. The Axiom of Foundation (or Regularity). The cumulative hierarchy: \(\langle V_\alpha:\alpha\in\mathbf{On}\rangle\) and its union \(\mathbf{V}\).
2022-10-31: More cardinal arithmetic
How to compute \(\kappa^\lambda\) for cardinals \(\kappa\) and \(\lambda\), and its dependence on \(\gimel(\kappa)=\kappa^{\mathrm{cf}\kappa}\).
2022-11-07: Cub and stationary sets and applications
The Fodor's Pressing-Down Lemma; the \(\Delta\)-system lemma; Hajnal's Free Set Lemma.
2022-11-14: The Free Set Lemma and some Partition Calculus
Proof of The Free Set Lemma, to show the difference between regular and singular cardinals. Ramsey's Theorem (infinite version) and the Erdős-Rado Theorem.
2022-11-21: Trees
Kőnig's Infinity Lemma (\(\aleph_0\) has the tree property) and its relation to Ramsey's Theorem. Construction of an Aronszajn tree (\(\aleph_1\) does not have the tree property). A discussion of Souslin's Problem and its relation to trees.
2022-11-28: The Constructible Universe \(\mathbf{L}\), I
The informal definition of \(\mathbf{L}\): iterating the operation of taking the definable subsets to get \(\langle L_\alpha:\alpha\in\mathrm{On}\rangle\) and \(\mathbf{L}=\bigcup_{\alpha\in\mathrm{On}}L_\alpha\)
2022-12-05: The Constructible Universe \(\mathbf{L}\), II
The formal definition of \(\mathbf{L}\): redefining definability using the Gödel operations and \(\Delta_0\)-formulas. Absoluteness of \(\langle L_\alpha:\alpha\in\mathrm{On}\rangle\) and \(\mathbf{L}\), as well as of the notion of constructibility itself.
2022-12-12: The Constructible Universe \(\mathbf{L}\), III
The Axiom of Choice and the Generalized Continuum Hypothesis in \(\mathbf{L}\), elementary substructures, and the Condensation Lemma.
2022-12-19: The Constructible Universe \(\mathbf{L}\), IV
Trees in \(\mathbf{L}\): a Souslin tree and the Diamond-principle \(\lozenge\). Also, elementary substructures again: minimality. A short description of Kurepa's Hypothesis, its status in \(\mathbf{L}\), and \(\lozenge^+\).
2023-01-16: The Exam
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Last modified: dinsdag 14-02-2023 at 12:12:13 (CET)