Foundations of Computability Theory

Semester
2025 Autumn Semester
Location
Peking University
Classroom
二教 424
Time
Monday 13:00-15:00

Introduction

This course introduces the fundamental concepts, methods, and results of computability theory.

Contents and slides

Lecture 1
introduction, Turing machines, numbering, enumeration theorem, s-m-n theorem, recursion theorem
Lecture 2
c.e. sets, c.e. approximations, listing theorem, halting problem, $\mathsf{m}$-reducibility and $\mathsf{1}$-reducibility, index sets, Rice’s Theorem, hardness and completeness
Lecture 3
$\mathsf{m}$-degrees, $\mathsf{1}$-degrees, join, productive sets, creative sets, $\mathsf{1}$-completeness, Myhill isomorphism theorem
Lecture 4
oracle Turing machines, Turing reducibility, use principle, relativization, Turing degrees, Turing jump, Jump Theorem
Lecture 5
bounded Turing reducibilities, truth-table reducibilities, c.a. sets, $\omega$-c.e. and $n$-c.e. sets, Shoenfield limit lemma, low and high hierarchy
Lecture 6
arithmetical hierarchy, $\Sigma_n$-completeness, Post’s theorem, hierarchy theorem, classifying index sets
Lecture 7
relativized Post’s theorem, low theorem, high theorem, domination and escaping domination, Martin’s high domination theorem, computably dominated sets
Lecture 8
orthogonal lowness properties, trees, Weak König’s lemma, Cantor space, compactness, $\Sigma^0_1$ and $\Pi^0_1$ classes, low basis theorem, computably dominated basis theorem, cone avoidance basis theorem
Lecture 9
Post’s problem, simple sets, hypersimple sets, Dekker’s theorem
Lecture 10
permitting arguments, effective simple sets, diagonally non-computable degrees, fixed-point-free functions, Arslanov completeness criterion
Lecture 11
Kleene-Post theorem, generic sets, Friedberg completeness criterion, finite extension arguments, generic sets
Lecture 12
finite injury method, low simple sets, Friedberg-Muchnik theorem
Lecture 13
cone avoidance theorem, Sacks splitting theorem
Lecture 14
Peano arithmetic, Gödel’s first incompleteness theorem
Lecture 15
$\Sigma_1$-completeness of $\mathsf{PA}$, $\mathsf{DNC}_2$ functions, Gödel-Rosser’s incompleteness theorem, Gödel’s second incompleteness theorem, $\mathsf{PA}$ degrees

References

  • Turing Computability: Theory and Applications, Robert I. Soare, Springer, 2016.
  • Computability, Benoît Monin & Ludovic Patey, draft.