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Forcing?
Thomas Jech
What is forcing? Forcing is a remarkably powerful case that there exists no proof of the conjecture
technique for the construction of models of set and no proof of its negation.
theory. It was invented in 1963 by Paul Cohen1, To make this vague discussion more precise we
who used it to prove the independence of the will first elaborate on the concepts of theorem and
Continuum Hypothesis. He constructed a model proof.
of set theory in which the Continuum Hypothesis What are theorems and proofs? It is a use-
(CH) fails, thus showing that CH is not provable ful fact that every mathematical statement can
from the axioms of set theory. be expressed in the language of set theory. All
What is the Continuum Hypothesis? In 1873 mathematical objects can be regarded as sets, and
Georg Cantor proved that the continuum is un- relations between them can be reduced to expres-
countable: that there exists no mapping of the set sions that use only the relation . It is not essential
N of all integers onto the set R of all real numbers.
how it is done, but it can be done: For instance,
Since R contains N, we have 20 > 0 , where 20
integers are certain finite sets, rational numbers
and 0 are the cardinalities of R and N, respec-
are pairs of integers, real numbers are identified
tively. A question arises whether 20 is equal to
with Dedekind cuts in the rationals, functions
the cardinal 1 , the immediate successor of 0 .
Cantors conjecture that 20 = 1 is the celebrat- are some sets of pairs, etc. Moreover all self-
ed continuum hypothesis made famous by David evident truths used in mathematical proofs can
Hilbert, who put it on the top of his list of major be formally derived from the axioms of set theory.
open problems in the year 1900. Cohens solution The accepted system of axioms of set theory is
of Cantors problem does not prove 20 = 1 , nor ZFC, the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms plus the axiom
does it prove 20 1 . The answer is that CH is of choice. As a consequence every mathematical
undecidable. theorem can be formulated and proved from the
What does it mean that a conjecture is unde- axioms of ZFC.
cidable? In mathematics, the accepted standard of When we consider a well formulated mathe-
establishing truth is to give a proof of a theorem. matical statement (say, the Riemann Hypothesis)
Thus one verifies a given conjecture by finding a there is a priori no guarantee that there exists a
proof of the conjecture, or one refutes it by finding proof of the statement or a proof of its negation.
a proof of its negation. But it is not necessary that Does ZFC decide every statement? In other words,
every conjecture can be so decided: it may be the is ZFC complete? It turns out that not only is
ZFC not complete, but it cannot be replaced by a
Thomas Jech is professor emeritus of mathematics at the complete system of axioms. This was Gdels 1931
Pennsylvania State University, currently at the Institute
discovery known as the Incompleteness Theorem.
of Mathematics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. His
email address is jech@math.cas.cz. What is Gdels Incompleteness Theorem? In
1
Editors Note: Paul Cohen died in March 2008, and an short, every system of axioms that is (i) recursive
article containing reminiscences about him is in prepara- and (ii) sufficiently expressive is incomplete. Suf-
tion for an upcoming issue of the Notices. ficiently expressive means that it includes the