Dispensing with the continuum

DOI10.1006/JMPS.1997.1142MaRDI QIDQ1368388zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Richard Sommer, P. Suppes

Publication date 24 January 1999

Published in Journal of Mathematical Psychology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Copyright license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1006/jmps.1997.1142

zbMATH Keywords

approximate nonstandard analysisaxiom systemderivativeordinary differential equations

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Other applications of nonstandard models (economics, physics, etc.) (03H10)

Review text

For many years, there have been attempts to present portions of Robinson-styled nonstandard analysis in a weaker form using weaker hypotheses. This is yet another example of such an attempt relative to concepts that appear finitary and more closely aligned with constructionism. An axiom system called ERNA is proposed informally. The definition of the derivative is then expressed partially in the usual nonstandard format but without the standard part operator. The authors informally show how their ERNA system approximately establishes the basic existence theorem for first-order ordinary differential equations. Their result is not exactly what one would consider as completely equivalent to the standard, but is only approximate in character. It is clear that, at least, one of the axioms of ERNA, recursion, is so stated that just such a result as given in this paper can be established using the usual methods that have previously employed to establish this result. Other material relative to ERNA is also informally discussed. Unfortunately, modern infinitesimal modeling, used to answer some of the most significant physical problems of interest to empirical science, may contradict the authors' philosophical thesis that ``the continuum is dispensable in the mathematics that is used in empirical science.

Recommendations

• More infinity for a better finitism
• ERNA and Friedman's Reverse Mathematics
• Transfer and a supremum principle for ERNA
• Investigation of relaxation oscillations with the use of constructive nonstandard analysis: I

Cites work

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Cited in

(6)

• Several unresolved conceptual problems of mathematical psychology
• ERNA and Friedman's Reverse Mathematics
• Cutting Out Continuations
• Saturation and Σ₂-transfer for ERNA
• Future development of scientific structures closer to experiments: response to F. A. Muller
• More infinity for a better finitism

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