Ehrenfeucht-Mostowski theorem 2026-09-28
If a first-order theory has an infinite model, then for every total order it has an elementary extension containing distinct order indiscernibles whose Skolem hull is a model of the theory. Every order automorphism of extends uniquely to an automorphism of that hull.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 120 2 c Solution 2026-09-28
The Ehrenfeucht-Mostowski theorem says that if a first-order theory has an infinite model, then for every total order there is a model generated as the Skolem hull of distinct order indiscernibles , and every order automorphism of extends to an automorphism of .
Given an infinite cardinal , let with the lexicographic order, viewed as consecutive copies of the rational order. In each copy independently choose either the identity or a fixed nonidentity order automorphism of . These choices give distinct order automorphisms of .
Apply the theorem to this order. Distinct order automorphisms act differently on the distinct generators , so their extensions give an injection into the automorphism group of a first-order structure . Therefore , proving that has models with arbitrarily large automorphism groups.