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Fundamental sequences in the second and third ordinal number classes

The text is concerned with the definition and investigation of some classes of ordinal valued-functions; and with the determining of a particular assignment function O. This function assigns to each limit ordinal alpha smaller than a constant theta and belonging to the second number class a fundamental sequence [diagram] that is, a strictly increasing sequence satisfying [diagram]. The operations used to determine O are derived from a class of functions [diagram]. Since generalizes the standard ordinal arithmetic operations,some of the properties of the are studied, together with the operations gammaalpha which are generalizationsof transfinite sum and product. Also investigated is a related class of number-theoretic functions, in this context O is an arbitrary assignment bounded by o in place of [diagram]. It is proved that the functions are normal in the second argument, and these functions are compared with a hierarchy of normal functions obtained by Veblen's process of iteration. The provide a natural means of extending the notion of epsilon number, and some of the properties of the generalized epsilon numbers are presented. The function of [diagram] is normal, and the notation [diagram] is adopted for the sequence of countable fixed points of the function. The generalized epsilon numbers determine a hierarchical classification of limit numbers, and on this basis a normal form is determined for each, and thence the function O is defined by transfinite recursion.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:704254
Date January 1973
CreatorsMcBeth, C. B. R.
PublisherRoyal Holloway, University of London
Source SetsEthos UK
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Sourcehttp://repository.royalholloway.ac.uk/items/9fb5f686-e5a5-4e4c-ad12-b806cfe03564/1/

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