Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / iii / Paper 24 / 6 / b

This is the Rasiowa–Sikorski lemma. Put $p_0=p$ and recursively chooseusing density. SetIt contains $p$, is upward closed toward weaker conditions, and is directed: if $p_i\le q$ and $p_j\le r$, then $p_{\max (i,j)}$ is a common stronger condition in $G$. It meets each $D_n$ through $p_{n+1}$. Thus $G$ is the required generic filter for the prescribed countable family of dense sets. For a countable transitive model, externally enumerate its dense sets to obtain a generic filter over the model by this same argument.

The PDF's middle equality is $({\omega }^2{)}^M=({\omega }^2{)}^{M[G]}$, concerning ordinal exponentiation. The TeX incorrectly turns the exponent into a subscript; preserving ${\omega }_2$ would be incompatible with forcing CH over many ground models.

Let $A=(\mathcal{P}(\omega ){)}^M$ and use the countable-condition collapse of $A$ onto ${\omega }_1$:ordered by extension. Countable unions give lower bounds, so closed forcing adds no short ordinal sequences; in particular it adds no reals and preserves ${\omega }_1$. Dense requirements ensure that the union of the generic filter is a total surjection $g:{\omega }_1\to A$. ThusFinally forcing preserves ordinals, and the recursion defining ordinal multiplication and exponentiation is absolute. Both models compute ${\omega }^2$ as the same order type of $\omega$ successive copies of $\omega$. This proves the printed middle equality too. Higher cardinals may collapse, which is allowed by the actual PDF.

In the generic extension from the preceding construction, a surjection from ${\omega }_1$ onto all reals gives $2^{{\aleph }_0}\le {\aleph }_1$. Cantor theorem gives the reverse inequality, so the Continuum hypothesis holds.

For the exact consistency-strength statement, existence of a countable transitive model is stronger than bare consistency of ZFC. One can formalize the forcing proof syntactically, or use the constructible universe theorem: ZFC proves that its constructible universe satisfies ZFC and the Generalized continuum hypothesis. If there is any model of ZFC, its internal constructible universe is therefore a model of ZFC with CH. By the Godel completeness theorem,This deduction does not silently replace consistency by existence of a transitive model.