Time

Oct 2 2012 - 1:50pm - 2:50 pm

Location

MW154

Speaker

Cameron Hill (Notre Dame)

Abstract

In bringing ideas and results from "geometric'' model theory to bear on questions from finitary discrete mathematics, there are two reasonably well-known approaches -- pseudo-finite theories (ultraproducts of finite structures) and generic structures (limits of amalgamation classes of finite structures). I will argue that the confluence of these -- theories of generic structures that are pseudo-finite via the same class -- is the "natural'' setting for bringing discrete mathematics into model theory. As evidence, I will discuss (a selection from among) the appearance of well-quasi-orderings in amalgamation classes, quasi-finite axiomatizability, zero-one laws, and Ramsey theorems for classes of finite structures.