Year of Award: 1984

Award: Lester R. Ford

Publication Information: The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 90, 1983, pp. 669-675

Summary: This article looks at some fast-growing recursively-defined sequences, and examines the sense in which these can be beyond the scope of Peano Arithmetic.  A connection to Paris and Harrington's combinatorial statement that is "true but unprovable in PA" is also discussed.

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About the Author: Joel Spencer was at SUNY Stony Brook at the time of publication.