In
model theory
In mathematical logic, model theory is the study of the relationship between formal theories (a collection of sentences in a formal language expressing statements about a mathematical structure), and their models (those structures in which the ...
, a discipline within
mathematical logic
Mathematical logic is the study of formal logic within mathematics. Major subareas include model theory, proof theory, set theory, and recursion theory. Research in mathematical logic commonly addresses the mathematical properties of formal ...
, a non-standard model is a model of a theory that is not
isomorphic to the
intended model (or standard model).
[Roman Kossak, 2004 ''Nonstandard Models of Arithmetic and Set Theory'' American Mathematical Soc.]
Existence
If the intended model is infinite and the language is
first-order, then the
Löwenheim–Skolem theorem
In mathematical logic, the Löwenheim–Skolem theorem is a theorem on the existence and cardinality of models, named after Leopold Löwenheim and Thoralf Skolem.
The precise formulation is given below. It implies that if a countable first-orde ...
s guarantee the existence of non-standard models. The non-standard models can be chosen as
elementary extensions or
elementary substructure In model theory, a branch of mathematical logic, two structures ''M'' and ''N'' of the same signature ''σ'' are called elementarily equivalent if they satisfy the same first-order ''σ''-sentences.
If ''N'' is a substructure of ''M'', one ofte ...
s of the intended model.
Importance
Non-standard models are studied in
set theory
Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory, as a branch of mathematics, is mostly concer ...
,
non-standard analysis
The history of calculus is fraught with philosophical debates about the meaning and logical validity of fluxions or infinitesimal numbers. The standard way to resolve these debates is to define the operations of calculus using epsilon–delt ...
and
non-standard models of arithmetic.
See also
*
Interpretation (logic)
An interpretation is an assignment of meaning to the symbols of a formal language. Many formal languages used in mathematics, logic, and theoretical computer science are defined in solely syntactic terms, and as such do not have any meaning unt ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Non-Standard Model
Model theory