Adjacent pair in a linear order Created 2026-10-25 Updated 2026-10-31
Two elements of a totally ordered set form an adjacent pair when no domain element lies strictly between them. Every pair of consecutive integers is adjacent, while a dense order has no adjacent pair. A gap in a subset of the real numbers matters here only through which points belong to the domain: are adjacent in .
Express that the order is a dense order:In either real interval, lies strictly between any two distinct ordered elements and remains in the domain. In the integers, have no intervening integer, so this first-order sentence is false. The endpoints of a closed interval do not prevent a dense order.
Combine a minimum with an adjacent pair in a linear order:In , choose . The minimum and the adjacent pair in a linear order both exist. In , the dense order property rules out such an adjacent pair. In , adjacent pairs exist, but no minimum exists: for any , the integer is smaller. Thus this first-order sentence has precisely the required three truth values. Neither the endpoints nor the numerical witnesses occur as constant symbols in the first-order sentence.
A minimum and an adjacent pair distinguish the two-interval order from a closed interval and the integers
. Orange highlights the consecutive domain members and in the two-interval order. The dotted arrow crosses points absent from that domain. A closed real interval has intervening domain members; the integers have adjacent pairs but no minimum. Details.