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Mathematics

The Kruskal Tree Theorem and Well-Quasi-Ordering

Quick fact

Kruskal's tree theorem, first proved in 1960 by Joseph Kruskal, is so powerful that it is unprovable in Peano arithmetic, yet it can be proved in a stronger system of second-order arithmetic.

Why this is interesting

Imagine an infinite sequence of Christmas trees, each one no more complex than the next. Could you ever find a later tree that contains an earlier one as a pattern? The Kruskal tree theorem says yes—always!