Abstract
We consider the problem of interpolating functions partially defined over a distributive lattice by means of lattice polynomial functions. Goodstein's theorem solves a particular instance of this interpolation problem on a distributive lattice L with least and greatest elements 0 and 1, respectively: given a function f : {0, 1}n → L , there exists a lattice polynomial function \({p: L^{n} \rightarrow L}\) such that p| n{0,1} = f if and only if f is monotone; in this case, the interpolating polynomial p is unique. We extend Goodstein’s theorem to a wider class of partial functions \({f : D \rightarrow L}\) over a distributive lattice L, not necessarily bounded, and where \({{D}\, {\subseteq}\, {L}^{n}}\) is allowed to range over n-dimensional rectangular boxes \({D = \{{a_{1}, b_{1}}\} {\times}. . . {\times} \{{a_{n}, b_{n}\}}}\) with \({a_{i}, b_{i} \in L}\) and \({a_{i} < b_{i}}\) , and we determine the class of such partial functions that can be interpolated by lattice polynomial functions. In this wider setting, interpolating polynomials are not necessarily unique; we provide explicit descriptions of all possible lattice polynomial functions that interpolate these partial functions, when such an interpolation is available.
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Presented by K. Kaarli.
The first named author is supported by the internal research project F1R-MTH-PUL- 12RDO2 of the University of Luxembourg. The second named author acknowledges that the present project is supported by the TÁMOP-4.2.1/B-09/1/KONV-2010-0005 program of the National Development Agency of Hungary, by the Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research under grants no. K77409 and K83219, by the National Research Fund of Luxembourg, and cofunded under the Marie Curie Actions of the European Commission (FP7-COFUND).
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Couceiro, M., Waldhauser, T. Interpolation by polynomial functions of distributive lattices: a generalization of a theorem of R. L. Goodstein. Algebra Univers. 69, 287–299 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00012-013-0231-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00012-013-0231-6