David Hilbert's Contributions to Logical Theory
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Einstein and Hilbert: the Creation of General Relativity
EINSTEIN AND HILBERT: THE CREATION OF GENERAL RELATIVITY ∗ Ivan T. Todorov Institut f¨ur Theoretische Physik, Universit¨at G¨ottingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1 D-37077 G¨ottingen, Germany; e-mail: [email protected] and Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Tsarigradsko Chaussee 72, BG-1784 Sofia, Bulgaria;∗∗e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT It took eight years after Einstein announced the basic physical ideas behind the relativistic gravity theory before the proper mathematical formulation of general relativity was mastered. The efforts of the greatest physicist and of the greatest mathematician of the time were involved and reached a breathtaking concentration during the last month of the work. Recent controversy, raised by a much publicized 1997 reading of Hilbert’s proof- sheets of his article of November 1915, is also discussed. arXiv:physics/0504179v1 [physics.hist-ph] 25 Apr 2005 ∗ Expanded version of a Colloquium lecture held at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, 9 December 1992 and (updated) at the International University Bremen, 15 March 2005. ∗∗ Permanent address. Introduction Since the supergravity fashion and especially since the birth of superstrings a new science emerged which may be called “high energy mathematical physics”. One fad changes the other each going further away from accessible experiments and into mathe- matical models, ending up, at best, with the solution of an interesting problem in pure mathematics. The realization of the grand original design seems to be, decades later, nowhere in sight. For quite some time, though, the temptation for mathematical physi- cists (including leading mathematicians) was hard to resist. -
Old and New Results in the Foundations of Elementary Plane Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometries Marvin Jay Greenberg
Old and New Results in the Foundations of Elementary Plane Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometries Marvin Jay Greenberg By “elementary” plane geometry I mean the geometry of lines and circles—straight- edge and compass constructions—in both Euclidean and non-Euclidean planes. An axiomatic description of it is in Sections 1.1, 1.2, and 1.6. This survey highlights some foundational history and some interesting recent discoveries that deserve to be better known, such as the hierarchies of axiom systems, Aristotle’s axiom as a “missing link,” Bolyai’s discovery—proved and generalized by William Jagy—of the relationship of “circle-squaring” in a hyperbolic plane to Fermat primes, the undecidability, incom- pleteness, and consistency of elementary Euclidean geometry, and much more. A main theme is what Hilbert called “the purity of methods of proof,” exemplified in his and his early twentieth century successors’ works on foundations of geometry. 1. AXIOMATIC DEVELOPMENT 1.0. Viewpoint. Euclid’s Elements was the first axiomatic presentation of mathemat- ics, based on his five postulates plus his “common notions.” It wasn’t until the end of the nineteenth century that rigorous revisions of Euclid’s axiomatics were presented, filling in the many gaps in his definitions and proofs. The revision with the great- est influence was that by David Hilbert starting in 1899, which will be discussed below. Hilbert not only made Euclid’s geometry rigorous, he investigated the min- imal assumptions needed to prove Euclid’s results, he showed the independence of some of his own axioms from the others, he presented unusual models to show certain statements unprovable from others, and in subsequent editions he explored in his ap- pendices many other interesting topics, including his foundation for plane hyperbolic geometry without bringing in real numbers. -
Foundations of Geometry
California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2008 Foundations of geometry Lawrence Michael Clarke Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Geometry and Topology Commons Recommended Citation Clarke, Lawrence Michael, "Foundations of geometry" (2008). Theses Digitization Project. 3419. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3419 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Foundations of Geometry A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Mathematics by Lawrence Michael Clarke March 2008 Foundations of Geometry A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Lawrence Michael Clarke March 2008 Approved by: 3)?/08 Murran, Committee Chair Date _ ommi^yee Member Susan Addington, Committee Member 1 Peter Williams, Chair, Department of Mathematics Department of Mathematics iii Abstract In this paper, a brief introduction to the history, and development, of Euclidean Geometry will be followed by a biographical background of David Hilbert, highlighting significant events in his educational and professional life. In an attempt to add rigor to the presentation of Geometry, Hilbert defined concepts and presented five groups of axioms that were mutually independent yet compatible, including introducing axioms of congruence in order to present displacement. -
Mechanism, Mentalism, and Metamathematics Synthese Library
MECHANISM, MENTALISM, AND METAMATHEMATICS SYNTHESE LIBRARY STUDIES IN EPISTEMOLOGY, LOGIC, METHODOLOGY, AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE Managing Editor: JAAKKO HINTIKKA, Florida State University Editors: ROBER T S. COHEN, Boston University DONALD DAVIDSON, University o/Chicago GABRIEL NUCHELMANS, University 0/ Leyden WESLEY C. SALMON, University 0/ Arizona VOLUME 137 JUDSON CHAMBERS WEBB Boston University. Dept. 0/ Philosophy. Boston. Mass .• U.S.A. MECHANISM, MENT ALISM, AND MET AMA THEMA TICS An Essay on Finitism i Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Webb, Judson Chambers, 1936- CII:J Mechanism, mentalism, and metamathematics. (Synthese library; v. 137) Bibliography: p. Includes indexes. 1. Metamathematics. I. Title. QA9.8.w4 510: 1 79-27819 ISBN 978-90-481-8357-9 ISBN 978-94-015-7653-6 (eBook) DOl 10.1007/978-94-015-7653-6 All Rights Reserved Copyright © 1980 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland in 1980. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1980 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE vii INTRODUCTION ix CHAPTER I / MECHANISM: SOME HISTORICAL NOTES I. Machines and Demons 2. Machines and Men 17 3. Machines, Arithmetic, and Logic 22 CHAPTER II / MIND, NUMBER, AND THE INFINITE 33 I. The Obligations of Infinity 33 2. Mind and Philosophy of Number 40 3. Dedekind's Theory of Arithmetic 46 4. -
Georg Cantor English Version
GEORG CANTOR (March 3, 1845 – January 6, 1918) by HEINZ KLAUS STRICK, Germany There is hardly another mathematician whose reputation among his contemporary colleagues reflected such a wide disparity of opinion: for some, GEORG FERDINAND LUDWIG PHILIPP CANTOR was a corruptor of youth (KRONECKER), while for others, he was an exceptionally gifted mathematical researcher (DAVID HILBERT 1925: Let no one be allowed to drive us from the paradise that CANTOR created for us.) GEORG CANTOR’s father was a successful merchant and stockbroker in St. Petersburg, where he lived with his family, which included six children, in the large German colony until he was forced by ill health to move to the milder climate of Germany. In Russia, GEORG was instructed by private tutors. He then attended secondary schools in Wiesbaden and Darmstadt. After he had completed his schooling with excellent grades, particularly in mathematics, his father acceded to his son’s request to pursue mathematical studies in Zurich. GEORG CANTOR could equally well have chosen a career as a violinist, in which case he would have continued the tradition of his two grandmothers, both of whom were active as respected professional musicians in St. Petersburg. When in 1863 his father died, CANTOR transferred to Berlin, where he attended lectures by KARL WEIERSTRASS, ERNST EDUARD KUMMER, and LEOPOLD KRONECKER. On completing his doctorate in 1867 with a dissertation on a topic in number theory, CANTOR did not obtain a permanent academic position. He taught for a while at a girls’ school and at an institution for training teachers, all the while working on his habilitation thesis, which led to a teaching position at the university in Halle. -
The Development of Mathematical Logic from Russell to Tarski: 1900–1935
The Development of Mathematical Logic from Russell to Tarski: 1900–1935 Paolo Mancosu Richard Zach Calixto Badesa The Development of Mathematical Logic from Russell to Tarski: 1900–1935 Paolo Mancosu (University of California, Berkeley) Richard Zach (University of Calgary) Calixto Badesa (Universitat de Barcelona) Final Draft—May 2004 To appear in: Leila Haaparanta, ed., The Development of Modern Logic. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 Contents Contents i Introduction 1 1 Itinerary I: Metatheoretical Properties of Axiomatic Systems 3 1.1 Introduction . 3 1.2 Peano’s school on the logical structure of theories . 4 1.3 Hilbert on axiomatization . 8 1.4 Completeness and categoricity in the work of Veblen and Huntington . 10 1.5 Truth in a structure . 12 2 Itinerary II: Bertrand Russell’s Mathematical Logic 15 2.1 From the Paris congress to the Principles of Mathematics 1900–1903 . 15 2.2 Russell and Poincar´e on predicativity . 19 2.3 On Denoting . 21 2.4 Russell’s ramified type theory . 22 2.5 The logic of Principia ......................... 25 2.6 Further developments . 26 3 Itinerary III: Zermelo’s Axiomatization of Set Theory and Re- lated Foundational Issues 29 3.1 The debate on the axiom of choice . 29 3.2 Zermelo’s axiomatization of set theory . 32 3.3 The discussion on the notion of “definit” . 35 3.4 Metatheoretical studies of Zermelo’s axiomatization . 38 4 Itinerary IV: The Theory of Relatives and Lowenheim’s¨ Theorem 41 4.1 Theory of relatives and model theory . 41 4.2 The logic of relatives . -
Definitions and Nondefinability in Geometry 475 2
Definitions and Nondefinability in Geometry1 James T. Smith Abstract. Around 1900 some noted mathematicians published works developing geometry from its very beginning. They wanted to supplant approaches, based on Euclid’s, which han- dled some basic concepts awkwardly and imprecisely. They would introduce precision re- quired for generalization and application to new, delicate problems in higher mathematics. Their work was controversial: they departed from tradition, criticized standards of rigor, and addressed fundamental questions in philosophy. This paper follows the problem, Which geo- metric concepts are most elementary? It describes a false start, some successful solutions, and an argument that one of those is optimal. It’s about axioms, definitions, and definability, and emphasizes contributions of Mario Pieri (1860–1913) and Alfred Tarski (1901–1983). By fol- lowing this thread of ideas and personalities to the present, the author hopes to kindle interest in a fascinating research area and an exciting era in the history of mathematics. 1. INTRODUCTION. Around 1900 several noted mathematicians published major works on a subject familiar to us from school: developing geometry from the very beginning. They wanted to supplant the established approaches, which were based on Euclid’s, but which handled awkwardly and imprecisely some concepts that Euclid did not treat fully. They would present geometry with the precision required for general- ization and applications to new, delicate problems in higher mathematics—precision beyond the norm for most elementary classes. Work in this area was controversial: these mathematicians departed from tradition, criticized previous standards of rigor, and addressed fundamental questions in logic and philosophy of mathematics.2 After establishing background, this paper tells a story about research into the ques- tion, Which geometric concepts are most elementary? It describes a false start, some successful solutions, and a demonstration that one of those is in a sense optimal. -
Knowing-How and the Deduction Theorem
Knowing-How and the Deduction Theorem Vladimir Krupski ∗1 and Andrei Rodin y2 1Department of Mechanics and Mathematics, Moscow State University 2Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences and Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Saint-Petersburg State University July 25, 2017 Abstract: In his seminal address delivered in 1945 to the Royal Society Gilbert Ryle considers a special case of knowing-how, viz., knowing how to reason according to logical rules. He argues that knowing how to use logical rules cannot be reduced to a propositional knowledge. We evaluate this argument in the context of two different types of formal systems capable to represent knowledge and support logical reasoning: Hilbert-style systems, which mainly rely on axioms, and Gentzen-style systems, which mainly rely on rules. We build a canonical syntactic translation between appropriate classes of such systems and demonstrate the crucial role of Deduction Theorem in this construction. This analysis suggests that one’s knowledge of axioms and one’s knowledge of rules ∗[email protected] [email protected] ; the author thanks Jean Paul Van Bendegem, Bart Van Kerkhove, Brendan Larvor, Juha Raikka and Colin Rittberg for their valuable comments and discussions and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research for a financial support (research grant 16-03-00364). 1 under appropriate conditions are also mutually translatable. However our further analysis shows that the epistemic status of logical knowing- how ultimately depends on one’s conception of logical consequence: if one construes the logical consequence after Tarski in model-theoretic terms then the reduction of knowing-how to knowing-that is in a certain sense possible but if one thinks about the logical consequence after Prawitz in proof-theoretic terms then the logical knowledge- how gets an independent status. -
John Von Neumann's “Impossibility Proof” in a Historical Perspective’, Physis 32 (1995), Pp
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by SAS-SPACE Published: Louis Caruana, ‘John von Neumann's “Impossibility Proof” in a Historical Perspective’, Physis 32 (1995), pp. 109-124. JOHN VON NEUMANN'S ‘IMPOSSIBILITY PROOF’ IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ABSTRACT John von Neumann's proof that quantum mechanics is logically incompatible with hidden varibales has been the object of extensive study both by physicists and by historians. The latter have concentrated mainly on the way the proof was interpreted, accepted and rejected between 1932, when it was published, and 1966, when J.S. Bell published the first explicit identification of the mistake it involved. What is proposed in this paper is an investigation into the origins of the proof rather than the aftermath. In the first section, a brief overview of the his personal life and his proof is given to set the scene. There follows a discussion on the merits of using here the historical method employed elsewhere by Andrew Warwick. It will be argued that a study of the origins of von Neumann's proof shows how there is an interaction between the following factors: the broad issues within a specific culture, the learning process of the theoretical physicist concerned, and the conceptual techniques available. In our case, the ‘conceptual technology’ employed by von Neumann is identified as the method of axiomatisation. 1. INTRODUCTION A full biography of John von Neumann is not yet available. Moreover, it seems that there is a lack of extended historical work on the origin of his contributions to quantum mechanics. -
The Foundations of Geometry
The Foundations of Geometry Gerard A. Venema Department of Mathematics and Statistics Calvin College SUB Gottingen 7 219 059 926 2006 A 7409 PEARSON Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 Contents Preface ix Euclid's Elements 1 1.1 Geometry before Euclid 1 1.2 The logical structure of Euclid's Elements 2 1.3 The historical importance of Euclid's Elements 3 1.4 A look at Book I of the Elements 5 1.5 A critique of Euclid's Elements 8 1.6 Final observations about the Elements 11 Axiomatic Systems and Incidence Geometry 17 2.1 Undefined and defined terms 17 2.2 Axioms 18° 2.3 Theorems 18 2.4 Models 19 2.5 An example of an axiomatic system 19 2.6 The parallel postulates 25 2.7 Axiomatic systems and the real world 27 Theorems, Proofs, and Logic 31 3.1 The place of proof in mathematics 31 3.2 Mathematical language 32 3.3 Stating theorems 34 3.4 Writing proofs 37 3.5 Indirect proof \. 39 3.6 The theorems of incidence geometry ';, . 40 Set Notation and the Real Numbers 43 4.1 Some elementary set theory 43 4.2 Properties of the real numbers 45 4.3 Functions ,48 4.4 The foundations of mathematics 49 The Axioms of Plane Geometry 52 5.1 Systems of axioms for geometry 53 5.2 The undefined terms 56 5.3 Existence and incidence 56 5.4 Distance 57 5.5 Plane separation 63 5.6 Angle measure 67 vi Contents 5.7 Betweenness and the Crossbar Theorem 70 5.8 Side-Angle-Side 84 5.9 The parallel postulates 89 5.10 Models 90 6 Neutral Geometry 94 6.1 Geometry without the parallel postulate 94 6.2 Angle-Side-Angle and its consequences 95 6.3 The Exterior -
Foundations of Mathematics
Foundations of Mathematics November 27, 2017 ii Contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Foundations of Geometry 3 2.1 Introduction . .3 2.2 Axioms of plane geometry . .3 2.3 Non-Euclidean models . .4 2.4 Finite geometries . .5 2.5 Exercises . .6 3 Propositional Logic 9 3.1 The basic definitions . .9 3.2 Disjunctive Normal Form Theorem . 11 3.3 Proofs . 12 3.4 The Soundness Theorem . 19 3.5 The Completeness Theorem . 20 3.6 Completeness, Consistency and Independence . 22 4 Predicate Logic 25 4.1 The Language of Predicate Logic . 25 4.2 Models and Interpretations . 27 4.3 The Deductive Calculus . 29 4.4 Soundness Theorem for Predicate Logic . 33 5 Models for Predicate Logic 37 5.1 Models . 37 5.2 The Completeness Theorem for Predicate Logic . 37 5.3 Consequences of the completeness theorem . 41 5.4 Isomorphism and elementary equivalence . 43 5.5 Axioms and Theories . 47 5.6 Exercises . 48 6 Computability Theory 51 6.1 Introduction and Examples . 51 6.2 Finite State Automata . 52 6.3 Exercises . 55 6.4 Turing Machines . 56 6.5 Recursive Functions . 61 6.6 Exercises . 67 iii iv CONTENTS 7 Decidable and Undecidable Theories 69 7.1 Introduction . 69 7.1.1 Gödel numbering . 69 7.2 Decidable vs. Undecidable Logical Systems . 70 7.3 Decidable Theories . 71 7.4 Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems . 74 7.5 Exercises . 81 8 Computable Mathematics 83 8.1 Computable Combinatorics . 83 8.2 Computable Analysis . 85 8.2.1 Computable Real Numbers . 85 8.2.2 Computable Real Functions . -
Chapter 1 the Foundation of Euclidean Geometry
Chapter 1 The Foundation of Euclidean Geometry \This book has been for nearly twenty-two centuries the encouragement and guide of that scientific thought which is one thing with the progress of man from a worse to a better state." | Clifford 1. Introduction. Geometry, that branch of mathematics in which are treated the properties of figures in space, is of ancient origin. Much of its development has been the result of efforts made throughout many centuries to construct a body of logical doctrine for correlating the geometrical data obtained from observation and measurement. By the time of Euclid (about 300 B.C.) the science of geometry had reached a well-advanced stage. From the accumulated material Euclid compiled his Elements, the most remarkable textbook ever written, one which, despite a number of grave imperfections, has served as a model for scientific treatises for over two thousand years. Euclid and his predecessors recognized what every student of philosophy knows: that not everything can be proved. In building a logical structure, one or more of the propositions must be assumed, the others following by logical deduction. Any attempt to prove all of the propositions must lead inevitably to the completion of a vicious circle. In geometry these assumptions originally took the form of postulates suggested by experience and intuition. At best these were statements of what seemed from observation to be true or approximately true. A geometry carefully built upon such a foundation may be expected to correlate the data of observation very well, perhaps, but certainly not exactly. Indeed, it should be clear that the mere change of some more-or-less doubtful postulate of one geometry may lead to another geometry which, although radically different from the first, relates the same data quite as well.