Equational theory of positive numbers with exponentiation is not finitely axiomatizable (Q918968)

The author considers the equational theory K of \((N,1,+,*,\uparrow).\) Let T be the standard axioms for addition, multiplication and exponentiation. A. Tarski asked if the whole of K can be derived from T. A. J. Wilkie first provided an identity holding in N but not derivable from T. It is proved in the paper that for any finite \(S\subseteq K\) there is an identity from K in one variable which is not derived from S.