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General and Set-Theoretic Topology

General & ST Session #6.2

Subevent of General & ST Session #6

Heritage Hall Building 124

Times: 2026 Mar 13 from 04:15PM to 04:45PM (Central Time (US & Canada))

Topology, Set Theory, and the $\pi$-Base

Steven Clontz <sclontz@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama

Abstract:

The $\pi$-Base community database of topological counterexamples was recognized in Fall 2025 as the highest-voted crowdsourced math project on Terence Tao’s MathOverflow list. While much can be done by simply modeling Objects/Spaces, Properties, and Theorems, without a notion of set theory and cardinality, we quickly find limitations, for example:

  • Several “open questions” on $\pi$-Base are equivalent to the Continuum Hypothesis
  • Thirteen properties on $\pi$-Base are just different cardinalities, with explicit theorems written to connect them.

We will discuss the current plan to incorporate results from set theory into the $\pi$-Base, and seek input from potential users.

Notes:

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