Past exam of the model theory course of the University of Oxford / 2011 / 1 / c

An aleph-zero-categorical theory has, up to isomorphism, exactly one first-order model of cardinality ${\aleph }_0$.

The Ryll-Nardzewski theorem says that, for a complete theory $T$ in a countable first-order language, with infinite first-order models, the following conditions are equivalent: $T$ is aleph-zero-categorical; for every positive integer $n$, its type space $S_n(T)$ of complete types over the empty set is finite; and, for every $n$, there are only finitely many $L$-formulas in $n$ free variables modulo equivalence over $T$. Here $\phi$ and $\psi$ are equivalent over $T$ when $T\models \forall \mathbf{x}(\phi \leftrightarrow \psi )$.

A partial type $p(\mathbf{x})$ is a set of $L$-first-order formulas in a fixed tuple $\mathbf{x}=(x_1,\dots ,x_n)$ jointly consistent with $T$. A complete type, the usual meaning of an $n$-type here, is maximal among such consistent sets: for each first-order formula $\phi (\mathbf{x})$ it contains exactly one of $\phi ,\neg \phi$.

Add new constants $\mathbf{c}$ and considerEvery finite subset is satisfiable by consistency of the type. The compactness theorem gives a first-order model of the full set. Its $L$-reduct is a first-order model of $T$, and the interpretations of $\mathbf{c}$ realize $p$. This proof applies to partial as well as complete types.

For a complete theory in a countable language, the types realized in every first-order model are exactly the isolated types. An isolated type has a consistent first-order formula $\theta \in p$ such that $T\models \forall \mathbf{x}(\theta \to \phi )$ for every $\phi \in p$. Completeness forces $T\models \exists \mathbf{x}\theta$, so every first-order model realizes $p$; the converse is the omitting types theorem. Countability is a hypothesis of that converse, not of the preceding compactness realization argument. For a partial type the corresponding criterion is an isolating consistent first-order formula, together with its existence in every first-order model; it need not itself belong to the partial type.

If $T$ is not complete, no one complete $n$-type can be realized in every first-order model of $T$: a complete type decides sentences, and two completions of $T$ disagree on some sentence. Thus the completeness and countability hypotheses must be retained when using the isolated-type characterization.

For the additive first-order structure, letIt defines $n\mathbb{Z}$. These sets are pairwise distinct: if $m>n>0$, the integer $n$ belongs to $n\mathbb{Z}$ but not to $m\mathbb{Z}$. Thus there are infinitely many inequivalent one-variable first-order formulas modulo the complete theory of the additive integers. The Ryll-Nardzewski theorem implies that first-order theory is not aleph-zero-categorical.

For the multiplicative first-order structure define divisibility by $d(y,x):=\exists z(yz=x)$. For $k\ge 1$, the first-order formulaasserts the existence of at least $2k$ distinct integer divisors. The integer $2^{k-1}$ has exactly $2k$ such divisors, namely $\pm 2^j$ for $0\le j\le k-1$, so it satisfies ${\psi }_k$ but not any ${\psi }_{\ell }$ with $\ell >k$. Again there are infinitely many inequivalent one-variable first-order formulas. The Ryll-Nardzewski theorem therefore implies the first-order theory of the multiplicative integers is not aleph-zero-categorical.