Alphabeta Math
TheoremStatement: AI-adaptedProof: AI-adaptedPipeline-generatedjudge pass (gpt-5.6-terra)audited 2026-09-12
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Rudin shrinking obstruction

Statement

Assume AC. In X=XR(B) the sets Fk={hX:h(n)=n for every nB with nk}, k<ω, are closed, decrease, and have empty intersection. For every sequence of open sets UkFk there is bnBn with

{hX:b<h}k<ωUk.

All inequalities are pointwise. In particular, no such open neighborhoods have empty intersection.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: The stated spaces, slices and open neighborhoods, in the AC setting.

[F1]

PB is the box product of the ordinal intervals [0,n], B is an infinite subset of ω{0,1}, and XR(B) requires a uniform strict finite-aleph bound on uncountable coordinate cofinalities (Rudin ordinal box spaces on infinite index sets).

[F2]

Every open neighborhood of Fk contains a pointwise tail above a function in nBn (Neighborhoods of Rudin initial-top slices contain tails).

[F5]

α+β is the order type of a copy of α followed by a copy of β (α+β is the order type of α followed by β).

[A1]

AC supplies a countable choice of the existing tail bounds (The Axiom of Choice).

Proof

1.1

For a coordinate n, the set {hX:h(n)<n} is open: it is the intersection with X of the box with factor [0,n) at n and whole factors elsewhere, and [0,n) is an open initial ray of the ordinal interval. Thus the set with h(n)=n is closed. Each Fk is the intersection of finitely many such sets, hence closed, and Fk+1Fk because it imposes all preceding equalities. The empty initial coordinate set gives F0=F1=X. If h belonged to every Fk, taking k=n would give h(n)=n for every nB. F3 would make these coordinate cofinalities n, which have no finite uniform aleph bound: the infinite subset B of the natural numbers is unbounded, since a bounded subset would be finite. This contradicts F1. Hence kFk=.

F1F3
1.2

For every k, F2 gives a nonempty set of functions zknBn whose tails are contained in Uk. Use A1 to choose one for each k and put b(n)=supk<ωzk(n). Each n is uncountable regular by F3, so F4 gives b(n)<n. Thus b belongs to the product in the statement. If b<h with hX, then zk(n)b(n)<h(n) at every coordinate and every k. The defining property of zk puts h in every Uk.

F2F3F4A1
2.1

Define h(n)=b(n)+ω1 using ordinal addition. By F5 this is the order type of the disjoint ordered sum of b(n) and ω1. With μ=max(b(n),1), one has μ<n because b(n)<n and n2. F6 bounds that sum's cardinality by μ, hence its order type h(n) is below the initial ordinal n: an ordinal at least n would contain a copy of n and have cardinality at least n. The final copy of ω1 is cofinal in the sum, so cf(h(n))ω1. A shorter cofinal set cannot exist. Its part in the final copy would be bounded there by regularity F3 and F4, and a larger point of that copy would then bound the entire set, including all points in the initial b(n) part. Therefore cf(h(n))=ω1. The final copy is nonempty and has no largest point, so h(n)>b(n), also when b(n)=0. All coordinate cofinalities of h are ω1<2, so F1 gives hX.

step 1.2F1F3F4F5F6
3.1

The point h in step 2.1 belongs to the tail above b, making that tail nonempty. Step 1.2 puts the entire tail in kUk, and step 1.1 gives the decreasing closed sequence with empty intersection. These are all the stated conclusions. QED.

step 1.1step 1.2step 2.1

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