Free Abelian lattice-ordered group 2026-10-14
The free object on generators has the universal property that an arbitrary assignment of these generators to an Abelian lattice-ordered group extends uniquely to a lattice-ordered group homomorphism. It can be constructed from terms using addition, negation, zero, join and meet, modulo identities valid in every Abelian lattice-ordered group. Its underlying group need not be finitely generated even when there are only two lattice generators.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 4 6 ii Solution 2026-10-14
A concrete model of the two-generated free Abelian lattice-ordered group is the lattice subgroup of real-valued functions on generated by the coordinate projections , . Its elements are finite joins of finite meets of integer linear forms . Thus they are continuous positively homogeneous piecewise linear functions, with pointwise addition and lattice operations. This is the piecewise integer-linear representation of a free Abelian lattice-ordered group.
For the construction, first form the term algebra on two symbols using addition, negation, zero, join and meet, then identify terms that agree in every Abelian lattice-ordered group. Evaluation under any assignment of the two generators factors through this quotient, proving its universal property. To obtain the concrete function model, use the identity-detection theorem that the real line generates the variety of Abelian lattice-ordered groups. Its proof passes a failed identity to a prime ordered quotient, chooses its finitely many active linear pieces, and uses the rational-inequality alternative underlying Farkas' lemma to find a real witness. This makes evaluation on injective as well as surjective onto the generated function group.
Its underlying group is not for any finite . The integer-linear hinge functions have infinite independent rank: are integer-linearly independent for distinct integers . On , only has a slope jump at , so each coefficient in a finite relation must vanish. The underlying group therefore has infinite rank of an abelian group despite having two lattice generators.
Evaluate the generators as coordinate projections on . The lattice-ordered group they generate consists of continuous positively homogeneous piecewise linear functions with finitely many integer-linear pieces. Equivalently its elements are finite joins of finite meets of integer linear forms. The universal property follows because the real line detects every identity of Abelian lattice-ordered groups: if an identity fails, pass to a prime ordered quotient and select the finitely many active linear pieces. The resulting rational linear inequalities have a real solution by the alternative underlying Farkas' lemma, giving a real witness to failure. This is a statement about integer coefficients and positive homogeneity, not arbitrary real coefficients or affine constant terms.