diff --git a/FormalConjectures/ErdosProblems/1168.lean b/FormalConjectures/ErdosProblems/1168.lean new file mode 100644 index 000000000..1f17b0189 --- /dev/null +++ b/FormalConjectures/ErdosProblems/1168.lean @@ -0,0 +1,235 @@ +/- +Copyright 2026 The Formal Conjectures Authors. + +Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); +you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. +You may obtain a copy of the License at + + https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 + +Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software +distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, +WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. +See the License for the specific language governing permissions and +limitations under the License. +-/ + +import FormalConjectures.Util.ProblemImports + +/-! +# Erdős Problem 1168 + +**Verbatim statement (Erdős #1168, status O):** +> Prove that\[\aleph_{\omega+1}\not\to (\aleph_{\omega+1}, 3,\ldots,3)_{\aleph_0}^2\]without assuming the generalised continuum hypothesis. + +**Source:** https://www.erdosproblems.com/1168 + +**Notes:** OPEN + + +*Reference:* [erdosproblems.com/1168](https://www.erdosproblems.com/1168) + +*References for known results:* +- [EHR65] Erdős, Paul and Hajnal, András and Rado, Richard, Partition relations for cardinal + numbers. Acta Math. Acad. Sci. Hungar. (1965), 93-196. +- [Va99] Vâjâitu, Marius and Vaida, Dragoş, Partition relations for uncountable cardinals + without the GCH. J. Appl. Anal. (1999) 5(2), 257-267. (Reference 7.80 therein.) + +## Problem Statement + +Prove that +$$\aleph_{\omega+1} \to (\aleph_{\omega+1}, \underbrace{3, 3, \ldots}_{\aleph_0})^2_{\aleph_0}$$ +**without** assuming the generalized continuum hypothesis (GCH). + +A problem of Erdős, Hajnal, and Rado. Under GCH the result is known (Erdős–Hajnal–Rado [EHR65]). +The challenge is to prove it in plain ZFC. + +## The Partition Relation + +The notation $\kappa \to (\kappa, \underbrace{3, 3, \ldots}_{\aleph_0})^2_{\aleph_0}$ means: +for any coloring of unordered pairs from the initial ordinal of $\kappa$ with countably many +colors (indexed by $\mathbb{N}$), one of the following holds: +* **Color 0** (*large monochromatic set*): there exists a subset $S$ of the vertex ordinal + with $|S| = \kappa$ such that every pair from $S$ receives color 0. +* **Color $n+1$** (for some $n : \mathbb{N}$, *triangle*): there exist three distinct elements + $x, y, z$ from the vertex ordinal such that all three pairs $\{x,y\}$, $\{x,z\}$, $\{y,z\}$ + receive color $n+1$. + +## Formalization Notes + +- We work with the **initial ordinal** `(ℵ_ (ω + 1)).ord` of `ℵ_{ω+1}` as the vertex set. + In Mathlib, `ℵ_ (ω + 1)` is `Cardinal.aleph (Ordinal.omega0 + 1)`. +- **Countably many colors** are represented by `ℕ`, since `#ℕ = ℵ₀`. +- The **GCH** is `∀ o : Ordinal, ℶ_ o = ℵ_ o` + (notation: `ℶ_` from the `Cardinal` namespace for `Cardinal.beth`). +- Here `ω` in `ℵ_ (ω + 1)` is the ordinal `Ordinal.omega0` (the first infinite ordinal), + so `ℵ_ (ω + 1)` is indeed `ℵ_{\omega+1}`, the successor cardinal of the singular `ℵ_\omega`. +-/ + +open Cardinal Ordinal SimpleGraph + +namespace Erdos1168 + +universe u + +/- +### The countably-colored cardinal partition relation +-/ + +/-- +`CardinalCountableColorRamsey κ` asserts the partition relation +`κ → (κ, 3, 3, …)²_{ℵ₀}` with countably many colors (indexed by `ℕ`). + +More precisely, it is a statement about the initial ordinal `κ.ord` of `κ`: +for any coloring `col : Sym2 κ.ord.ToType → ℕ` of unordered pairs from `κ.ord.ToType`, +one of the following holds: +* **Color 0** (*large monochromatic set*): there exists a set `s ⊆ κ.ord.ToType` with + `#s = κ` such that every pair from `s` is colored 0 (i.e., `col ⟦(x, y)⟧ = 0` + for all distinct `x, y ∈ s`). +* **Some positive color** (*triangle*): there exists `n : ℕ` and three distinct elements + `x y z : κ.ord.ToType` such that all three pairs are colored `n + 1`. + +This generalizes `OrdinalMultiColorRamsey` from finitely many colors (using `Fin (k+1)`) to +countably many colors (using `ℕ`), consistent with the `ℵ_0` subscript in the partition notation. +-/ +def CardinalCountableColorRamsey (κ : Cardinal.{u}) : Prop := + ∀ col : Sym2 κ.ord.ToType → ℕ, + -- Either color-0 large monochromatic set of cardinality κ ... + (∃ s : Set κ.ord.ToType, + (∀ x ∈ s, ∀ y ∈ s, x ≠ y → col s(x, y) = 0) ∧ + #s = κ) ∨ + -- ... or a monochromatic triangle in some positive color n+1. + (∃ (n : ℕ) (x y z : κ.ord.ToType), + x ≠ y ∧ x ≠ z ∧ y ≠ z ∧ + col s(x, y) = n + 1 ∧ + col s(x, z) = n + 1 ∧ + col s(y, z) = n + 1) + +/- +### The main open problem +-/ + +/-- +**OPEN**: Prove that $\aleph_{\omega+1} \not\to (\aleph_{\omega+1}, 3, 3, \ldots)^2_{\aleph_0}$ +without assuming the generalized continuum hypothesis. + +The source specifies the NOT-arrow (negative partition relation): there exists an +$\aleph_0$-coloring of pairs from the initial ordinal of $\aleph_{\omega+1}$ such that +neither +* a color-0 monochromatic subset of cardinality $\aleph_{\omega+1}$ exists, nor +* a positively-colored monochromatic triangle exists. + +The negative arrow is known under GCH (Erdős–Hajnal–Rado [EHR65]); the open problem (a +problem of Erdős, Hajnal, and Rado) asks for a ZFC proof of the NOT-arrow. + +Here `ω` is `Ordinal.omega0` (the first infinite ordinal), so `ℵ_ (ω + 1)` is +the successor cardinal of `ℵ_ω` (i.e., $\aleph_{\omega+1}$). + +**Status**: OPEN. +-/ +@[category research open, AMS 5] +theorem erdos_1168 : ¬ CardinalCountableColorRamsey (ℵ_ (ω + 1)) := by + sorry + +/- +### Variants and known results +-/ + +namespace erdos_1168.variants + +/-- +**Generalized Continuum Hypothesis (GCH)**: the axiom asserting that for every ordinal `o`, +the beth cardinal `ℶ_ o` equals the aleph cardinal `ℵ_ o`. + +Under GCH, $2^{\aleph_\gamma} = \aleph_{\gamma+1}$ for all ordinals $\gamma$, which makes +the successor cardinal of a singular cardinal more tractable for partition calculus arguments. + +This is the hypothesis used in the known proofs of the Erdős–Hajnal–Rado partition result +for $\aleph_{\omega+1}$ (see [EHR65]). +-/ +def GCH : Prop := ∀ o : Ordinal.{0}, ℶ_ o = ℵ_ o + +/-- +**Erdős–Hajnal–Rado theorem under GCH** [EHR65]: +$$\aleph_{\omega+1} \not\to (\aleph_{\omega+1}, \underbrace{3, 3, \ldots}_{\aleph_0})^2_{\aleph_0}$$ +assuming the generalized continuum hypothesis. + +Under GCH, the successor cardinal $\aleph_{\omega+1} = 2^{\aleph_\omega}$, which enables the +Erdős–Hajnal–Rado partition calculus arguments for successors of singular cardinals. +The proof uses the fact that under GCH, $\aleph_{\omega+1}$ is a successor of a singular cardinal +of cofinality $\omega$, making the "polarized" and "stepping-up" lemmas of partition calculus +applicable. + +**Status**: Proved under GCH by Erdős–Hajnal–Rado [EHR65]. +-/ +@[category research solved, AMS 5] +theorem under_GCH (hGCH : GCH) : ¬ CardinalCountableColorRamsey (ℵ_ (ω + 1)) := by + sorry + +/-- +**ℵ_{ω+1} is uncountable**: ℵ_{ω+1} is strictly greater than ℵ₀, confirming it is a +genuinely uncountable vertex-set size for the main conjecture. +-/ +@[category test, AMS 5] +example : ℵ₀ < ℵ_ (ω + 1) := by + rw [← aleph_zero] + apply aleph_lt_aleph.mpr + exact omega0_pos.trans_le le_self_add + +/-- +**ℵ_ω < ℵ_{ω+1}**: the cardinal ℵ_{ω+1} is strictly larger than ℵ_ω, confirming that +ℵ_{ω+1} is indeed the *successor* cardinal of the singular ℵ_ω. +-/ +@[category test, AMS 5] +example : ℵ_ ω < ℵ_ (ω + 1) := by + exact aleph_lt_aleph.mpr (lt_add_one ω) + +/-- +**GCH implies 2^(ℵ_ω) = ℵ_{ω+1}**: under GCH, the power set of ℵ_ω equals ℵ_{ω+1}. + +Formally: if GCH holds then `ℶ_ (ω + 1) = ℵ_ (ω + 1)` and +`ℶ_ (succ ω) = 2 ^ ℶ_ ω` (from the recurrence for beth), so +`2 ^ ℵ_ ω = ℵ_ (ω + 1)` follows by the GCH equalities `ℶ_ ω = ℵ_ ω`. +This is the key arithmetic fact used in the Erdős–Hajnal–Rado [EHR65] proof. +-/ +@[category test, AMS 5] +theorem GCH_implies_power_aleph_omega (hGCH : GCH) : + (2 : Cardinal.{0}) ^ ℵ_ ω = ℵ_ (ω + 1) := by + have h1 : ℶ_ ω = ℵ_ ω := hGCH ω + have h2 : ℶ_ (ω + 1) = ℵ_ (ω + 1) := hGCH (ω + 1) + have h3 : ℶ_ (ω + 1) = 2 ^ ℶ_ ω := by + rw [show (ω : Ordinal.{0}) + 1 = Order.succ ω from (add_one_eq_succ ω).symm] + exact beth_succ ω + have h4 : (2 : Cardinal.{0}) ^ ℵ_ ω = ℶ_ (ω + 1) := by + rw [h3]; congr 1; exact h1.symm + exact h4.trans h2 + +/-- +**ℵ_{ω+1} is the successor of ℵ_ω**: a key structural fact used in partition calculus. + +This uses the Mathlib theorem `Cardinal.aleph_succ`: +`ℵ_ (Ordinal.succ o) = Order.succ (ℵ_ o)` for all ordinals `o`. +Since `ω + 1 = Ordinal.succ ω`, we get `ℵ_ (ω + 1) = Order.succ (ℵ_ ω)`. +-/ +@[category test, AMS 5] +theorem aleph_omega_succ_is_successor : ℵ_ (ω + 1) = Order.succ (ℵ_ ω) := by + conv_lhs => rw [show (ω : Ordinal) + 1 = Order.succ ω from (add_one_eq_succ ω).symm] + exact aleph_succ ω + +/-- +**Monotonicity**: if `CardinalCountableColorRamsey κ` holds and `μ ≤ κ`, then +`CardinalCountableColorRamsey μ` holds. A coloring of `μ.ord`-pairs can be extended +(via the initial segment embedding `μ.ord ↪ κ.ord`) to a coloring of `κ.ord`-pairs. +The `κ`-instance then yields a monochromatic set or triangle in `κ.ord.ToType`; restricting +to the image of `μ.ord.ToType` gives the conclusion for `μ`. + +**Status**: Open (the formal reduction requires ordinal embedding machinery). +-/ +@[category research open, AMS 5] +theorem mono_kappa {μ κ : Cardinal.{u}} (hle : μ ≤ κ) + (hκ : CardinalCountableColorRamsey κ) : CardinalCountableColorRamsey μ := by + sorry + +end erdos_1168.variants + +end Erdos1168