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The Relative Consistency of the Axiom of Choice Mechanized Using Isabelle⁄zf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2010

Lawrence C. Paulson
Lawrence C. Paulson
Affiliation:
Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 OFD, Englandlcp@cl.cam.ac.uk, http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/lcp

Abstract

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The proof of the relative consistency of the axiom of choice has been mechanized using Isabelle⁄ZF, building on a previous mechanization of the reflection theorem. The heavy reliance on metatheory in the original proof makes the formalization unusually long, and not entirely satisfactory: two parts of the proof do not fit together. It seems impossible to solve these problems without formalizing the metatheory. However, the present development follows a standard textbook, Kenneth Kunen's Set theory: an introduction to independence proofs, and could support the formalization of further material from that book. It also serves as an example of what to expect when deep mathematics is formalized.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
LMS Journal of Computation and Mathematics , Volume 6 , 2003 , pp. 198 - 248
Copyright
Copyright © London Mathematical Society 2003

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Supplementary material: PDF

JCM 6 Paulson Appendix A

Paulson Appendix A

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