An infinite natural sum

As far as algebraic properties are concerned, the usual addition on the class of ordinal numbers is not really well behaved; for example, it is not commutative, nor left cancellative etc. In a few cases, the natural Hessemberg sum is a better alternative, since it shares most of the usual properties of the addition on the naturals. A countably infinite version of the natural sum has been used in a recent paper by V\"a\"an\"anen and Wang, with applications to infinitary logics. We provide an order theoretical characterization of this operation. We show that this countable natural sum differs from the more usual infinite ordinal sum only for an initial finite "head" and agrees on the remaining infinite "tail". We show how to evaluate the countable natural sum just by computing a finite natural sum. Various kinds of infinite mixed sums of ordinals are discussed.Comment: v3 added a remark connected with surreal number

Intermediate arithmetic operations on ordinal numbers

There are two well-known ways of doing arithmetic with ordinal numbers: the "ordinary" addition, multiplication, and exponentiation, which are defined by transfinite iteration; and the "natural" (or Hessenberg) addition and multiplication (denoted $\oplus$ and $\otimes$), each satisfying its own set of algebraic laws. In 1909, Jacobsthal considered a third, intermediate way of multiplying ordinals (denoted $\times$), defined by transfinite iteration of natural addition, as well as the notion of exponentiation defined by transfinite iteration of his multiplication, which we denote $\alpha^{\times\beta}$. (Jacobsthal's multiplication was later rediscovered by Conway.) Jacobsthal showed these operations too obeyed algebraic laws. In this paper, we pick up where Jacobsthal left off by considering the notion of exponentiation obtained by transfinitely iterating natural multiplication instead; we will denote this $\alpha^{\otimes\beta}$. We show that $\alpha^{\otimes(\beta\oplus\gamma)} = (\alpha^{\otimes\beta}) \otimes(\alpha^{\otimes\gamma})$ and that $\alpha^{\otimes(\beta\times\gamma)}=(\alpha^{\otimes\beta})^{\otimes\gamma}$; note the use of Jacobsthal's multiplication in the latter. We also demonstrate the impossibility of defining a "natural exponentiation" satisfying reasonable algebraic laws.Comment: 18 pages, 3 table