Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / iii / Paper 24 / 5 / a / i

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 $M$.

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 ${\omega }_1$. For each $\xi <{\omega }_1$, the conditions whose domains contain $\xi$ are dense; for each $\eta <\kappa$, those whose ranges contain $\eta$ are dense. The union of the generic filter is therefore a surjection from ${\omega }_1$ onto $\kappa$, and $|\kappa {|}^{M[G]}={\aleph }_1$.

Inaccessibility gives ${\kappa }^{{\aleph }_0}=\kappa$: every countable sequence is bounded below the regular $\kappa$, and the strong limit cardinal property bounds the number of sequences at each bound below $\kappa$. Hence $|\mathbb{P}|=\kappa$. The forcing satisfies the ${\kappa }^{+}$-chain condition for forcing, so it preserves every cardinal above $\kappa$. This gives precisely the requested collapse and preservation. The assertion that $\kappa$ is collapsed to ${\aleph }_1$ concerns its new cardinality; the ordinal $\kappa$ itself does not change.