What sets of real numbers are definable in the language of real closed fields

descriptive-set-theoryfield-theoryfirst-order-logicreal numbersreal-analysis

The language of the first-order theory of real closed fields consists of the non-logical symbols $0$, $1$, $+$, $\cdot$, $<$, and $=$. My question is, for what subsets $X$ of $\mathbb{R}$ does there exist a formula $\phi(x)$ in the language of real closed fields such that $X=\{x\in\mathbb{R}:\phi(x)\}$?

I’ve heard people say that the semi-algebraic sets, i.e. finite unions of singletons and intervals, are what’s definable in the language of real closed fields. But I think they mean something slightly different than what I’m asking about. Because there are uncountably many singletons and intervals, but only countably many formulas.

Best Answer

Your observation is correct: With countably many formulas without parameters, only countably many subsets can be defined.

The definable subsets of $\mathbb{R}$ in the language $\mathcal{L}_{\mathrm{or}}:=\{0, 1, +, \cdot, <\}$ of ordered rings are unions of intervals (degenerated or otherwise) with algebraic endpoints, exactly as commented above by Hagen von Eitzen. A reference for this fact is Marker's Model Theory, An Introduction, Sect. 3.3.

There, it is proved that real closed fields have quantifier elimination in $\mathcal{L}_{\mathrm{or}}$, and the result follows from this.