Ma 118
Topics in Mathematical Logic: Geometrical Paradoxes
Topics in Mathematical Logic: Geometrical Paradoxes
9 units (3-0-6)
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second term
Prerequisites: Ma 5 or equivalent, or instructor's permission.
This course will provide an introduction to the striking paradoxes that challenge our geometrical intuition. Topics to be discussed include geometrical transformations, especially rigid motions; free groups; amenable groups; group actions; equidecomposability and invariant measures; Tarski's theorem; the role of the axiom of choice; old and new paradoxes, including the Banach-Tarski paradox, the Laczkovich paradox (solving the Tarski circle-squaring problem), and the Dougherty-Foreman paradox (the solution of the Marczewski problem). Not offered 2023-24.