Logic Seminar

Ross Willard, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo

"Finite axiomatizability problems for finite algebras"

An enduring problem in universal algebra is this: given a finite algebra, are the identities which are true in the algebra finitely axiomatizable?  In this lecture I’ll give one nontrivial example where the answer is “yes” and another where the answer is “no,” to motivate the definition of what we mean by a “strong no” answer to this question.  If time, I’ll mention a 45-year-old open problem of Eilenberg and Schutzenberger and its connection to this question.

MC 5403