Defining Real Numbers as Oracles

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Publication date: 7 May 2023

Abstract: A real number is a rule that, when provided with a rational interval, answers Yes or No depending on if the real number ought to be considered to be in the given interval. Since the goal is to define the real numbers, this can only motivate the definition of which rules should be considered a real number. The rule must satisfy five properties and any rule that does so we call an oracle. Three of the properties ensure that we do not have multiple oracles representing the same real number. The other two properties ensure that the oracle does narrow down to a single real number. The most important property is the Separating property which ensures that if we divide a Yes interval into two parts, then one part is a Yes interval while the other is a No interval; the exception is if the division point, which is a rational number, happens to be the desired real number in which case both intervals are Yes intervals. We explore various examples and algorithms in using oracles in addition to establishing that the oracles do, in fact, form the field of real numbers. The concept of a Family of Overlapping, Notionally Shrinking Intervals is defined and found to be an essential tool in working with oracle arithmetic. Mediant approximations, which are related to continued fraction representations, naturally arise from an oracle perspective. We also compare and contrast with other common definitions of real numbers, such as Cauchy sequences and Dedekind cuts, in which the conclusion is that the oracle perspective is somewhat of a master map to the other definitions. We do an explicit example to contrast oracle arithmetic with decimal arithmetic and continued fraction arithmetic.

Has companion code repository: https://github.com/jostylr/reals-as-oracles

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