Erdős-Rado theorem for finite arities (${\beth }_r(\lambda {)}^{+}⟶({\lambda }^{+}{)}_{\lambda }^{r+1}$)

For an infinite cardinal $\lambda$ and finite $r\ge 0$, put ${\beth }_0(\lambda )=\lambda$ and ${\beth }_{r+1}(\lambda )=2^{{\beth }_r(\lambda )}$. Every $\lambda$-coloring of $(r+1)$-element subsets of ${\beth }_r(\lambda {)}^{+}$ has a homogeneous subset of size ${\lambda }^{+}$. The case $r=1$ is the Erdős-Rado theorem for pairs. For the induction, the end-homogeneous routing tree yields a sequence of length ${\beth }_{r-1}(\lambda {)}^{+}$ on which the color of an $(r+1)$-tuple depends only on its first $r$ entries. The previous-arity theorem homogenizes those $r$ entries. The case $r=0$ is the infinite pigeonhole principle at a successor cardinal.

Put $\theta =(2^{\mu }{)}^{+}$ for an infinite cardinal $\mu$. Choose $M\prec H_{\chi }$ of size $2^{\mu }$, containing all ordinals below ${\mu }^{+}$, and closed under externally given sequences of length at most $\mu$. Such a model is built by ${\mu }^{+}$ successive Skolem hull closures, since $(2^{\mu }{)}^{\mu }=2^{\mu }$. For a coloring of $[\theta {]}^{r+1}$ with at most $\mu$ colors in $M$, put $\beta =\sup (M\cap \theta )<\theta$. Recursively choose $x_{\alpha }\in M\cap \theta$ for $\alpha <{\mu }^{+}$, above all earlier points, so that every earlier $r$-tuple has the same color with $x_{\alpha }$ as with $\beta$. There are at most $\mu$ constraints, their code belongs to $M$ by closure, and $\beta$ witnesses their consistency. The elementary embedding supplies the required witness in $M$. The resulting sequence is end-homogeneous, providing the induction step in the Erdős-Rado theorem for finite arities.

For a coloring of $(r+1)$-subsets of an ordinal, route a vertex through the least earlier vertices matching its colors on every $r$-subset of previously chosen ancestors. The path stops when the vertex itself is selected. Common path prefixes agree, yielding a set-theoretic tree; a node at level $\alpha$ is determined by its color table on $[\alpha {]}^r$. Along a branch, the color of an $(r+1)$-tuple is independent of its last entry. If the domain has size $(2^{\mu }{)}^{+}$ and $\lambda \le \mu$, levels below ${\mu }^{+}$ have size at most $2^{\mu }$; counting all those levels forces a branch of length ${\mu }^{+}$. If the domain is a regular strong-limit cardinal $\kappa$, those levels instead have size below $\kappa$, and the tree property supplies a cofinal branch when needed.