Comp 230: Logic and Computability Fall 2021

H OMEWORK 6 (L AST )
Due Thursday, December 2 (2:35pm)

• Working through the assignment on your own will help you to learn the material
and identify those areas which you need to study more.

• If you have questions, make sure to clear them up during office hours or by asking
on the myCourses discussion board.

Readings:
• Read the textbook Chapters 14 and 15 carefully. Also have a look at pp. 579–581.
• Read the rest of the textbook at you leisure.
• Read Chapter 4 of Franzén’s Gödel’s Theorems (on myCourses).

Problems:
• As usual, some problems are more difficult than others.
• You should not need to consult other sources for answering these questions.
If you do so nevertheless, intellectual honesty requires you to state the sources!

1. Gödel numbering

(a) Say whether (1) or (2) on top of p. 440 of GEB form a proof pair. Briefly justify
your answer.
(b) Translate the meta-TNT statements (1)–(4) on pp. 442–443 of GEB into TNT.
(c) Say whether the three numbers in (1) and in (2) on p. 444 of GEB form a sub-
stitution relationship. Briefly justify your answer.

2. Completeness of theories
The following all concern formulas in the formal language of first-order arithmetic.

– A theory is a set of sentences T , such that A ∈ T iff T ⊢ A.

– If there is a recursive set of sentences S, such that A ∈ T iff S ⊢ A for every
sentence A of a theory T , then S is a set of axioms for T , and T is an axiomatic
theory.
– We say that a theory T is complete if for every sentence A, either A ∈ T or ∼ A ∈ T
(or both).

As always, justify your answers.

(a) What is the smallest theory (i. e., the smallest set of sentences T that satisfies
the condition for being a theory)?

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Comp 230: Logic and Computability Fall 2021

(b) If the theory T1 contains an inconsistent pair of sentences, say A and ∼ A, and
the theory T2 contains another inconsistent pair, say B and ∼ B, then what can
you say about the relation between T1 and T2 ?
(c) Is an inconsistent theory complete?
(d) Give an argument that any axiomatic complete theory is decidable.
(e) Consider the set Ω of sentences in the language of first-order arithmetic that
are true in the standard interpretation. Is Ω complete?
(f) Suppose that the theory T extends TNT (i. e., ∀A, if A ∈ TNT then A ∈ T ; but ∃A,
such that A ∈ T and A ̸∈ TNT), and T is complete. Is T axiomatizable?

3. Gödel’s Theorems

(a) Pick one of the claims on p. 77 of Gödel’s Theorems by Franzén and discuss
what’s wrong with it. Write a paragraph or two. Try to write it in such a way
that a student who hasn’t taken this course can understand it. Try it out with
one of your friends!
(b) Name a student (not in this class) who has read your explanation, and state
whether they understood it or not.

4. Course evaluations
Have you answered the official McGill course evaluations or do you intend to do so
by the last day of classes, Monday, December 6?

5. Possible final exam questions

Formulate two questions that you think would be fair questions for the final exam.
They can cover any of the material covered in the course, although the emphasis
should be on the second part. Write up an answer for each question that you think
is worth full credit and submit your questions and answers on myCourses. — Please
comment on other students’ submissions to suggest further improvements.
With these, you should have plenty of material to study for the exam!

⋆ Challenge question on Tarski’s Theorem

(a) Explain in your own words what Tarski’s Theorem (GEB, p. 580–585) says. Write
a paragraph or two. Try to write it in such a way that a student who hasn’t taken
this course can understand it. Try it out with one of your friends!
(b) Name a student (not in this class) who has read your explanation, and state
whether they understood it or not.

⋆ Challenge question. Read “On formally undecidable propositions of Principia Math-

ematica and related systems” by Kurt Gödel (on myCourses).

(a) Give the Gödel number of the formula ‘∼( f x 1 = 0)’ according to Gödel’s coding
scheme.
(b) Explain for which numbers x and y the relation x B y holds.

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