Compactness Theorem

Theorem
Let $\mathcal L$ be a first-order language.

Let $T$ be a set of $\mathcal L$-sentences.

Then $T$ is satisfiable iff $T$ is finitely satisfiable

Proof
By definition, $T$ is finitely satisfiable means that every finite subset of $T$ is satisfiable.

Since the direction
 * $T$ satisfiable implies $T$ finitely satisfiable

is trivial, the proofs below all justify the converse
 * $T$ finitely satisfiable implies $T$ satisfiable.

Proof using Ultraproducts
The idea is to construct an ultraproduct using a purposefully selected ultrafilter and collection of models so that each sentence in $T$ will be realized as a result of Łoś's Theorem.

Let $\Sigma$ be the set of finite subsets of $T$.

For every $\Sigma_0 \in \Sigma$, define:
 * $F_{\Sigma_0} = \left\{{\Delta \in \Sigma: \Sigma_0 \subseteq \Delta}\right\}$

That is, $F_{\Sigma_0}$ is the collection of all finite subsets of $T$ containing $\Sigma_0$.

Clearly $F_{\Sigma_0}$ is a subset of $\Sigma$.

Now define:
 * $F = \left\{{F_{\Sigma_0}: \Sigma_0 \in \Sigma}\right\}$

a subset of $\mathcal P \left({\Sigma}\right)$.

We claim this has the finite intersection property.

Take any finite collection $\left\{{F_{\Sigma_k}}\right\}_{k = 1, 2, \dots, n}$ of elements on $F$, and observe that the set $\displaystyle S = \cup_{k \mathop = 1}^n \Sigma_k$ is a finite subset of $T$.

That is, $S \in \Sigma$.

$S \in F_{\Sigma_k}$ for each $k$ by construction, and hence is in their intersection.

In fact, their intersection is $F_S$.

So the intersection of any finite collection of elements of $F$ is nonempty as claimed.

Since $F$ is a set with the finite intersection property, there is an ultrafilter $U$ containing it.

If $\Sigma_0 \in \Sigma$, then by assumption it has a model $\mathcal A_{\Sigma_0}$.

Define:
 * $\displaystyle \mathcal A = \left({\prod_{\Sigma_k \mathop \in \Sigma} \mathcal A_{\Sigma_k}}\right) / U$

We verify $\mathcal A \models T$.

Take any $\phi \in T$.

Observe that $F_{\left\{{\phi}\right\}} \in U$ by definition of $U$.

Furthermore, if we define $\Phi = \left\{{\Sigma_0 \in \Sigma: \mathcal A_{\Sigma_0} \models \phi}\right\}$, we have $F_{\left\{{\phi}\right\}} \subseteq \Phi$.

Hence, since $U$ is a filter and $F_{\left\{{\phi}\right\}} \in U$, $\Phi \in U$.

Then Łoś's Theorem implies that $\mathcal A \models \phi$.

Proof using Gödel's Completeness Theorem
This proof is by contraposition.

The idea is to exploit the finiteness of proofs and the relation between satisfiability and deducibility to show that if $T$ is not satisfiable, then it must have a finite subset which can be used to prove to a contradiction.

Suppose $T$ is not satisfiable.

Since $T$ has no models, it vacuously follows that $T \models \phi \wedge \neg \phi$ for some sentence $\phi$.

By Gödel's Completeness Theorem, this implies that $\phi \wedge \neg \phi$ is deducible from $T$.

But any deduction from $T$ involves only finitely many sentences from $T$.

This means that there is a finite subset $\Delta$ of $T$ such that $\phi \wedge \neg \phi$ is deducible from $\Delta$.

By Soundness of First-Order Logic, this means that $\Delta \models \phi \wedge \neg \phi$.

Thus $\Delta$ is not satisfiable.

Proof using Henkin Construction
This proof actually demonstrates a stronger form of the Compactness Theorem by showing:
 * If $T$ is finitely satisfiable and $\kappa$ is an infinite cardinal such that $\kappa > \left|{\mathcal L}\right|$, then $T$ is satisfiable by a model whose cardinality is at most $\kappa$.

This is stronger than the original statement, since it provides extra information about the model that is claimed to exist.

The proof is said to use a Henkin Construction because it involves the construction of a model all of whose elements are interpretations of the constant symbols of some language.

Such a model was used in Henkin's proof of the Completeness Theorem.

This special feature of the constructed model is what allows us to control its cardinality.

First, by Extend Theory to Satisfy Witness Property, we can extend $\mathcal L$ and $T$ to find a language $\mathcal L^*$ of cardinality at most $\kappa$ and an $\mathcal L^*$-theory $T^*$ such that all finitely satisfiable $\mathcal L^*$-theories containing $T^*$ have the witness property.

Then, since finitely satisfiable theories have maximal finitely satisfiable extensions, we can find a finitely satisfiable $\mathcal L^*$-theory $T'$ containing $T^*$ such that $T'$ contains either $\phi$ or $\neg\phi$ for each $\mathcal L^*$-sentence $\phi$.

Note that $T'$ has the witness property since it contains $T^*$.

Finally, by Maximal Finitely Satisfiable Theory with Witness Property is Satisfiable, $T'$ has a model.

Moreover, since $\mathcal L^*$ has cardinality at most $\kappa$ and hence has at most $\kappa$-many constant symbols, this theorem ensures that the model of $T'$ can be taken to have cardinality at most $\kappa$.

Also see

 * Overflow Theorem
 * The Class of Finite Models is not $\Delta$-Elementary
 * Existence of Non-Standard Models of Arithmetic