The Isomorphism Problem for Computable Abelian p-Groups of Bounded Length

Theories of classification distinguish classes with some good structure theorem from those for which none is possible. Some classes (dense linear orders, for instance) are non-classifiable in general, but are classifiable when we consider only countable members. This paper explores such a notion for classes of computable structures by working out a sequence of examples. We follow recent work by Goncharov and Knight in using the degree of the isomorphism problem for a class to distinguish classifiable classes from non-classifiable. In this paper, we calculate the degree of the isomorphism problem for Abelian $p$-groups of bounded Ulm length. The result is a sequence of classes whose isomorphism problems are cofinal in the hyperarithmetical hierarchy. In the process, new back-and-forth relations on such groups are calculated.Comment: 15 page

PAC Learning, VC Dimension, and the Arithmetic Hierarchy

We compute that the index set of PAC-learnable concept classes is $m$-complete $\Sigma^0_3$ within the set of indices for all concept classes of a reasonable form. All concept classes considered are computable enumerations of computable $\Pi^0_1$ classes, in a sense made precise here. This family of concept classes is sufficient to cover all standard examples, and also has the property that PAC learnability is equivalent to finite VC dimension

The Cardinality of an Oracle in Blum-Shub-Smale Computation

We examine the relation of BSS-reducibility on subsets of the real numbers. The question was asked recently (and anonymously) whether it is possible for the halting problem H in BSS-computation to be BSS-reducible to a countable set. Intuitively, it seems that a countable set ought not to contain enough information to decide membership in a reasonably complex (uncountable) set such as H. We confirm this intuition, and prove a more general theorem linking the cardinality of the oracle set to the cardinality, in a local sense, of the set which it computes. We also mention other recent results on BSS-computation and algebraic real numbers

Degeneration and orbits of tuples and subgroups in an Abelian group

A tuple (or subgroup) in a group is said to degenerate to another if the latter is an endomorphic image of the former. In a countable reduced abelian group, it is shown that if tuples (or finite subgroups) degenerate to each other, then they lie in the same automorphism orbit. The proof is based on techniques that were developed by Kaplansky and Mackey in order to give an elegant proof of Ulm's theorem. Similar results hold for reduced countably generated torsion modules over principal ideal domains. It is shown that the depth and the description of atoms of the resulting poset of orbits of tuples depend only on the Ulm invariants of the module in question (and not on the underlying ring). A complete description of the poset of orbits of elements in terms of the Ulm invariants of the module is given. The relationship between this description of orbits and a very different-looking one obtained by Dutta and Prasad for torsion modules of bounded order is explained.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur