What is the Definition of the Supremum in First Order Predicate Logic?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the definition of the supremum in the context of first-order predicate logic, particularly focusing on formalizing the concept and its implications. Participants explore the relationship between supremum, upper bounds, and the challenges of expressing these ideas within the constraints of first-order logic.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks help in formalizing the definition of the supremum, noting confusion around the concept of the least upper bound.
  • Another participant proposes a set T of all t such that sup(S) ≥ t > sup(S) - epsilon, suggesting a relationship between epsilon and the supremum.
  • A later reply indicates that there exists a t in T such that a - epsilon < t ≤ t, where a is the supremum, but clarifies that this is not the formalization originally requested.
  • One participant suggests a formalization involving the set of upper bounds U(S) and defines the supremum as the minimum of this set, noting that there are multiple equivalent statements regarding the definition.
  • Another participant emphasizes the need for a formalization in symbols rather than words, reiterating the desire to express the definition in logical terms.
  • Concerns are raised about the limitations of first-order predicate logic in expressing the supremum, as it requires dealing with both numbers and sets of numbers, which may not be feasible within that framework.
  • Some participants agree that expressing the supremum in first-order predicates is problematic and suggest that both first and second-order predicates would be necessary for a complete expression.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of formalizing the supremum in first-order predicate logic, with some acknowledging the limitations while others remain interested in potential expressions. No consensus is reached regarding a definitive formalization.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the complexity of formalizing mathematical concepts in logical frameworks, particularly the need to address multiple types of objects, which may not be adequately represented in first-order logic alone.

stauros
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i was trying to formalize the definition of the supremum in the real Nos (supremum is the least upper bound that a non empty set of the real Nos bounded from above has ) but the least upper part got me stuck.

Can anybody help?
 
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If epsilon>0 what can you say about the set T of all t such that
sup(S)>=t>sup(S)-epsilon
 
lurflurf said:
If epsilon>0 what can you say about the set T of all t such that
sup(S)>=t>sup(S)-epsilon

There is a t belonging to T such that : ##a-\epsilon<t\leq t##, where a= supremum.

But i did not ask for the formalization of that theorem ,which we can prove by using the definition of the supremum
 
What type of formalization do you want, epsilon-delta or some other? The most obvious (and silly) would be
let S be a set of real numbers
let U(S)={x in R|x>=s for all s in S} be the set of all upper bounds of S
sup(S)=min(U(s))

thus sup(S) is the unique real number such for any real number x either x>=sup(S) or there exist s in S such that s>=x

This is one of those occasions where we have n equivalent statements so we make one the definition and arbitrarily the other n-1 become trivial theorems.
 
The epsilon delta type
 
There you go

sup(S) is the unique real number such that
for all s in S sup(s)>=s
for all epsilon>0
there exist t in S such that
sup(S)>=t>sup(S)-epsilon
 
lurflurf said:
There you go

sup(S) is the unique real number such that
for all s in S sup(s)>=s
for all epsilon>0
there exist t in S such that
sup(S)>=t>sup(S)-epsilon

We want that only in symbols no words.

Again this is a theorem of the definition i asked in my original post,but anyway let's see how this can be trasfered into logical symbols
 
stauros said:
We want that only in symbols no words.

Again this is a theorem of the definition i asked in my original post,but anyway let's see how this can be trasfered into logical symbols
There is a possible problem here. If you want to express it in first order predicate logic, this is not possible, since we need to express two types of objects, numbers and sets of numbers, while first order predicate logic only deals with one type of objects.
 
Erland said:
There is a possible problem here. If you want to express it in first order predicate logic, this is not possible, since we need to express two types of objects, numbers and sets of numbers, while first order predicate logic only deals with one type of objects.

Yes,you are right we need 1st and 2nd order predicates.


But ifyou could express it in 1st order predicates ,i would be very interested to see.
 

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