Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 24 5 a i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the countable-condition collapseordered by reverse inclusion: an extension of a function is a stronger condition. All sizes and conditions here are computed in the ground model .
This forcing is countably closed: the union of a descending countable sequence is a countable partial function. Thus it adds no countable ordinal sequences and preserves . For each , the conditions whose domains contain are dense; for each , those whose ranges contain are dense. The union of the generic filter is therefore a surjection from onto , and .
Inaccessibility gives : every countable sequence is bounded below the regular , and the strong limit cardinal property bounds the number of sequences at each bound below . Hence . The forcing satisfies the -chain condition for forcing, so it preserves every cardinal above . This gives precisely the requested collapse and preservation. The assertion that is collapsed to concerns its new cardinality; the ordinal itself does not change.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 24 6 b ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The PDF's middle equality is , concerning ordinal exponentiation. The TeX incorrectly turns the exponent into a subscript; preserving would be incompatible with forcing CH over many ground models.
Let and use the countable-condition collapse of onto :ordered by extension. Countable unions give lower bounds, so closed forcing adds no short ordinal sequences; in particular it adds no reals and preserves . Dense requirements ensure that the union of the generic filter is a total surjection . ThusFinally forcing preserves ordinals, and the recursion defining ordinal multiplication and exponentiation is absolute. Both models compute as the same order type of successive copies of . This proves the printed middle equality too. Higher cardinals may collapse, which is allowed by the actual PDF.