Abstract
A quasi-order is a relation on a set which is both reflexive and transitive, while a well-quasi-order has the additional property that there exist no infinite strictly descending chains nor infinite antichains. Well-quasi-orderings have many interesting applications to a variety of areas which includes the strength of certain logical systems, the termination of algorithms, and the classification of sets of graphs in terms of excluded minors. My thesis explores how well-quasi-orderings are related to these topics through examples of four known well-quasi-orderings which are given by Dickson's Lemma, Higmans's Lemma, Kruskal's Tree Theorem, and the Robertson-Seymour Theorem. The well-quasi-ordering conjecture for matroids is also discussed, and an original proof of Higman's Lemma is presented.
Notes
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Thesis Completion
2013
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Brennan, Joseph
Degree
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
College
College of Sciences
Degree Program
Mathematics
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences;Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic
Format
Identifier
CFH0004455
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Document Type
Honors in the Major Thesis
Recommended Citation
Thurman, Forrest, "On well-quasi-orderings" (2013). HIM 1990-2015. 1474.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1474
Included in
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