1,971 research outputs found
Erdos-Szekeres-type statements: Ramsey function and decidability in dimension 1
A classical and widely used lemma of Erdos and Szekeres asserts that for
every n there exists N such that every N-term sequence a of real numbers
contains an n-term increasing subsequence or an n-term nondecreasing
subsequence; quantitatively, the smallest N with this property equals
(n-1)^2+1. In the setting of the present paper, we express this lemma by saying
that the set of predicates Phi={x_1<x_2,x_1\ge x_2}$ is Erdos-Szekeres with
Ramsey function ES_Phi(n)=(n-1)^2+1.
In general, we consider an arbitrary finite set Phi={Phi_1,...,Phi_m} of
semialgebraic predicates, meaning that each Phi_j=Phi_j(x_1,...,x_k) is a
Boolean combination of polynomial equations and inequalities in some number k
of real variables. We define Phi to be Erdos-Szekeres if for every n there
exists N such that each N-term sequence a of real numbers has an n-term
subsequence b such that at least one of the Phi_j holds everywhere on b, which
means that Phi_j(b_{i_1},...,b_{i_k}) holds for every choice of indices
i_1,i_2,...,i_k, 1<=i_1<i_2<... <i_k<= n. We write ES_Phi(n) for the smallest N
with the above property.
We prove two main results. First, the Ramsey functions in this setting are at
most doubly exponential (and sometimes they are indeed doubly exponential): for
every Phi that is Erd\H{o}s--Szekeres, there is a constant C such that
ES_Phi(n) < exp(exp(Cn)). Second, there is an algorithm that, given Phi,
decides whether it is Erdos-Szekeres; thus, one-dimensional
Erdos-Szekeres-style theorems can in principle be proved automatically.Comment: minor fixes of the previous version. to appear in Duke Math.
Complexity Bounds for Ordinal-Based Termination
`What more than its truth do we know if we have a proof of a theorem in a
given formal system?' We examine Kreisel's question in the particular context
of program termination proofs, with an eye to deriving complexity bounds on
program running times.
Our main tool for this are length function theorems, which provide complexity
bounds on the use of well quasi orders. We illustrate how to prove such
theorems in the simple yet until now untreated case of ordinals. We show how to
apply this new theorem to derive complexity bounds on programs when they are
proven to terminate thanks to a ranking function into some ordinal.Comment: Invited talk at the 8th International Workshop on Reachability
Problems (RP 2014, 22-24 September 2014, Oxford
HOL(y)Hammer: Online ATP Service for HOL Light
HOL(y)Hammer is an online AI/ATP service for formal (computer-understandable)
mathematics encoded in the HOL Light system. The service allows its users to
upload and automatically process an arbitrary formal development (project)
based on HOL Light, and to attack arbitrary conjectures that use the concepts
defined in some of the uploaded projects. For that, the service uses several
automated reasoning systems combined with several premise selection methods
trained on all the project proofs. The projects that are readily available on
the server for such query answering include the recent versions of the
Flyspeck, Multivariate Analysis and Complex Analysis libraries. The service
runs on a 48-CPU server, currently employing in parallel for each task 7 AI/ATP
combinations and 4 decision procedures that contribute to its overall
performance. The system is also available for local installation by interested
users, who can customize it for their own proof development. An Emacs interface
allowing parallel asynchronous queries to the service is also provided. The
overall structure of the service is outlined, problems that arise and their
solutions are discussed, and an initial account of using the system is given
The proof-theoretic strength of Ramsey's theorem for pairs and two colors
Ramsey's theorem for -tuples and -colors () asserts
that every k-coloring of admits an infinite monochromatic
subset. We study the proof-theoretic strength of Ramsey's theorem for pairs and
two colors, namely, the set of its consequences, and show that
is conservative over . This
strengthens the proof of Chong, Slaman and Yang that does not
imply , and shows that is
finitistically reducible, in the sense of Simpson's partial realization of
Hilbert's Program. Moreover, we develop general tools to simplify the proofs of
-conservation theorems.Comment: 32 page
Connecting the provable with the unprovable: phase transitions for unprovability
Why are some theorems not provable in certain theories of mathematics? Why are most theorems from existing mathematics provable in very weak systems? Unprovability theory seeks answers for those questions. Logicians have obtained unprovable statements which resemble provable statements. These statements often contain some condition which seems to cause unprovability, as this condition can be modified, using a function parameter, in such a manner as to make the theorem provable. It turns out that in many cases there is a phase transition: By modifying the parameter slightly one changes the theorem from provable to unprovable.
We study these transitions with the goal of gaining more insights into unprovability
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