Related papers: Max Dehn, Axel Thue, and the Undecidable
Let $X$ be any scheme defined over a Dedekind scheme $S$ with a given section $x\in X(S)$. We prove the existence of a pro-finite $S$-group scheme $\aleph(X,x)$ and a universal $\aleph(X,x)$-torsor dominating all the pro-finite pointed…
We consider the logic MSO+U, which is monadic second-order logic extended with the unbounding quantifier. The unbounding quantifier is used to say that a property of finite sets holds for sets of arbitrarily large size. We prove that the…
In the past century many fundamental results on unpredictability, undecidability and uncertainty have compelled scientists to grapple with the idea that some questions may never be resolved within our current theories. While this…
In the literature two notions of the word problem for a variety occur. A variety has a decidable word problem if every finitely presented algebra in the variety has a decidable word problem. It has a uniformly decidable word problem if…
We discuss the accuracy of the attribution commonly given to Turing's 1936 paper "On computable numbers..." for the computable undecidability of the halting problem, coming eventually to a nuanced conclusion.
We carry on the study of the synthesis problem on data words for fragments of first order logic, and delineate precisely the border between decidability and undecidability.
The finiteness problem for automaton groups and semigroups has been widely studied, several partial positive results are known. However we prove that, in the most general case, the problem is undecidable. We study the case of automaton…
We construct a finitely presented (two-sided) totally orderable group with insoluble word problem.
We consider semigroup algorithmic problems in finitely generated metabelian groups. Our paper focuses on three decision problems introduced by Choffrut and Karhum\"{a}ki (2005): the Identity Problem (does a semigroup contain a neutral…
A typical kind of question in mathematical logic is that for the necessity of a certain axiom: Given a proof of some statement $\phi$ in some axiomatic system $T$, one looks for minimal subsystems of $T$ that allow deriving $\phi$. In…
We introduce a first-order theory of finite full binary trees and then identify decidable and undecidable fragments of this theory. We show that the analogue of Hilbert`s 10th Problem is undecidable by constructing a many-to-one reduction…
We prove the undecidability of MSO on $\omega$-words extended with the second-order predicate $U_1(X)$ which says that the distance between consecutive positions in a set $X \subseteq \mathbb{N}$ is unbounded. This is achieved by showing…
The following problem is considered: if $H$ is a semiregular abelian subgroup of a transitive permutation group $G$ acting on a finite set $X$, find conditions for (non) existence of $G$-invariant partitions of $X$. Conditions presented in…
Recent work of Kaplan and Levy refining a nonsolvability criterion proved by Thompson in his N-Groups paper prompts questions on whether certain conditions on groups are equivalent to nonsolvability.
We introduce a new invariant of bipartite chord diagrams and use it to construct the first examples of groups with Dehn function $n^2\log n$ and other small Dehn functions. Some of these groups have undecidable conjugacy problem.
We study the following problem, first introduced by Dekking. Consider an infinite word x over an alphabet {0,1,...,k-1} and a semigroup homomorphism S:{0,1,...,k-1}* -> N. Let L_x denote the set of factors of x. What conditions on S and the…
The study of the word problems of groups dates back to Dehn in 1911, and has been a central topic of study in both group theory and computability theory. As most naturally occurring presentations of groups are recursive, their word problems…
With each semigroup one can associate a partial algebra, called the biordered set, which captures important algebraic and geometric features of the structure of idempotents of that semigroup. For a biordered set $\mathcal{E}$, one can…
In this piece, we examine one variant of the infamous 15 Tile Puzzle and develop a mathematical backing behind why it is unsolvable. Using concepts of permutations, bijectivity, and cycle transpositions, we not only prove how to model this…
In recent papers, Margolis, Rhodes and Schilling proved that the complexity of a finite semigroup is computable. This solved a problem that had been open for more than 50 years. The purpose of this paper is to survey the basic results of…