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Certain (and Possible) Answers

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Encyclopedia of Database Systems
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Synonyms

True answer (Maybe answer); Validity (Satisfiability)

Definition

LetT be a finite theory expressed in a language L, and φ an L-sentence. Then T finitely entails φ, in notation T ⊧ φ, if all finite models of T also are models of φ. A theory T is said to be complete in the finite if for each L-sentence φ either T ⊧ φ or T ⊧ ¬φ. In particular, if T is incomplete (not complete in the finite), then there is an L-sentence φ, such that T ⊭ φ and T ⊭ ¬φ. It follows from classical logic that a first order theory is complete in the finite if and only if all its finite models are isomorphic. Consider now a theory

$$ {T}_1\,{=}\!\left\{\!\begin{array}{c}\hfill R(a,b){\wedge} R(a,c),\hfill \\ {}\hfill \forall x,y{:}R(x,y){\to} (x,y){=}(a,b){\vee} (a,c),\hfill \\ {}\hfill a\ne b,a\ne c,b\ne c.\hfill \end{array}\right. $$

where a, b, and c are constants. This theory is complete, and clearly for instance T ⊧ R(a, b), T ⊧ R(a, c), and T ⊭ R(d, c), for all constants d different from a and b....

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Recommended Reading

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Correspondence to Gösta Grahne .

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Grahne, G. (2018). Certain (and Possible) Answers. In: Liu, L., Ă–zsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_1254

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