Compactness in Combinatorics

February 15, 2023, 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

Location:

Mathematics Graduate Student Lounge -- 7th Floor

Rutgers University

Hill Center

Mathematics Department

110 Frelinghuysen Road

Piscataway, NJ 08854

Caleb Fong, Rutgers University

When a finite statement in discrete maths is being extended to its infinite analogue, a useful method for brushing details under the rug is to say that we "use a standard compactness argument". In this talk, I will try to outline the basic structure of these arguments using many examples, give some idea for the underlying machinery (the Compactness Theorem from first-order logic), and if time permits � give some settings in which these proofs don't work.