Re: forcing

[Tim Gwinn <***>]

Steve,

 

The term "forcing" in ch. 22 p. 327 (in reference to Cohen and the continuum hypothesis) is a technical term in set theory. In the set theory usage, it refers to a method for making logical extrapolations, if you will, from particular to general; hence the reason Rosen refers to it in the section "Genericity" of that chapter. I would say that this specific technical meaning is definitely not the same meaning as the same word "forcing" Rosen elsewhere. I think the latter is a more generalized concept of the gerund form of "force" in the usual physics sense.

 

'Forcing' in set theory:

http://planetmath.org/encyclopedia/Forcing2.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forcing_%28mathematics%29

 

"Forcing for Dummies" (see sec. 5):

http://www-math.mit.edu/~tchow/mathstuff/forcingdum

 

Regards,

Tim

 

-----Original Message-----
From: ROSEN Forum [mailto:***On Behalf Of Steve Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 10:34 PM
To: ***
Subject: forcing

 

Rosen often uses the term "forcing" in an informal way that I always assumed to be synonymous with the term "force". However, while reading "Are Our Modeling Paradigm Non Generic?" chapter of Essays on Life Itself  he mentions "forcing" in connection with Paul Cohen and his proof regarding the continuum hypothesis. Does he intend for the term "forcing" to refer to Paul Cohen's technique in most of his writings?

 

- Steve