Horn theory 2026-10-07
In the positive finite-limit convention, a Horn theory uses atomic finite-conjunction sequents; uniquely witnessed existential extensions remain Cartesian. Its models are the finite-limit-preserving functors out of its Cartesian syntactic category. This convention does not insert arbitrary existential witnesses or falsity as Cartesian constructors. Its classifier is the presheaf classifier of a Horn theory.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 23 6 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Yes, with the Horn/Cartesian-fragment convention. A Horn theory uses positive finite-conjunction sequents and has a Cartesian syntactic category with finite limits. Provably uniquely witnessed existential formulas can also be admitted without changing the finite-limit nature of its semantics. Its internal models are precisely finite-limit-preserving functors from that category.
For a category with finite limits, flat functors into a Grothendieck topos are exactly finite-limit-preserving functors. In sets, the reason is concrete: the category of elements of a covariant left-exact functor is cofiltered. Its terminal object supplies nonemptiness, products supply cones over pairs of elements, and equalizers supply equalizing cones over parallel arrows. Conversely a cofiltered category of elements expresses the functor as a filtered colimit of covariant representables; filtered colimits of sets commute with finite limits. The internal version uses the same cone conditions locally.
The presheaf form of the Diaconescu equivalence for geometric morphisms therefore identifies geometric morphisms intowith internal Horn models, naturally in the domain topos. This is the presheaf classifier of a Horn theory.
Equivalently, using a small skeleton of the category of finitely presented set-based Horn models, the classifier is , with covariant functors. The duality sends a formula to the model generated by its tuple subject to its finite constraints. The presheaf claim does not extend merely because a general geometric or regular theory has no written disjunctions: arbitrary existential witnesses are not uniquely witnessed Horn data.