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Mathematical logic and foundations Definition

Weakly compact cardinal

Builds on Cardinal numberUncountable setInaccessible cardinal

Definition

Let κ\kappa be a cardinal, and write [κ]2[\kappa]^2 for the set of two-element subsets of κ\kappa. The cardinal κ\kappa is weakly compact if:

  1. κ\kappa is uncountable.
  2. For every function c ⁣:[κ]2→{0,1}c \colon [\kappa]^2 \to \set{0, 1} there is a set H⊆κH \subseteq \kappa with ∣H∣=κ\abs{H} = \kappa such that cc is constant on [H]2[H]^2.

Clause 2 is written κ→(κ)22\kappa \to (\kappa)^2_2.

Remarks

The cardinal ℵ0\aleph_0 satisfies clause 2 by Ramsey's theorem, and it fails only clause 1. The cardinal ℵ1\aleph_1 fails clause 2: Sierpiński's colouring compares the order of ω1\omega_1 with the order of an injective family of real numbers, and it has no uncountable homogeneous set. Equivalent form: κ\kappa is weakly compact if and only if κ\kappa is inaccessible and has the tree property. The tree property says that every tree of height κ\kappa whose levels have size less than κ\kappa has a branch of length κ\kappa. Another equivalent form: κ\kappa is inaccessible, and a compactness theorem holds for the infinitary logic ℒκ,κ\mathcal{L}_{\kappa, \kappa}. It says that a set Σ\Sigma of at most κ\kappa sentences has a model whenever every subset of Σ\Sigma of size less than κ\kappa has one.

Reading path

To understand this page from the ground up, read these 4 pages in order. The foundations come first.

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  1. Cardinal number concept
  2. Inaccessible cardinal concept
  3. Uncountable set concept
  4. Weakly compact cardinal definition

Further reading

  1. Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weakly_compact_cardinal
About this page
Tag4F1ABY39W1
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Kinddefinition
WritingW0 stub
MSC03E55, 03E02
DefinesWeakly compact cardinal
UsesCardinal number, Uncountable set, Inaccessible cardinal
Changed2 November 2026

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