True or falsehood of open formula under a fixed interpretation

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Given the open formula: $\alpha =(\exists{{x}_{2}})({P}^{1}({x}_{1},{x}_{2}))$

And consider the interpretation $I$ where the domain is the natural numbers, and ${P}^{1}$ means equality.

Is $\alpha$ true, false, or indeterminate under $I$?

I think is true, because in any possible valuation of the free variable ${x}_{1}$, there exists ${x}_{2}$ such that ${x}_{1}={x}_{2}$. However my "official solution" says it is indeterminate.

Is my reasoning correct?.

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The question is "tricky"...

According to some textbook, an open formula (a formula with free variables) is true (in a structure) iff its universal closure is; see e.g. Dirk van Dalen, Logic and Structure (5th ed - 2013), page 67.

According to this definition, you are right: $\mathbb N \vDash \alpha$. In general, with $P^1$ interpreted as equality, the formula is true in every structure.

But there are other approaches; see e.g. Herbert Enderton, A Mathematical Introduction to Logic (2nd ed - 2001), page 84.

According to this approach, the interpretation of a formula $\varphi$ in a structure $\mathfrak A$ is defined with a variable assignment function $s : Var \to |\mathfrak A|$, where $|\mathfrak A|$ is the domain of $\mathfrak A$.

Thus, the basic semantic relation is:

$\mathfrak A, s \vDash \varphi$.

According to this definition, $\mathbb N \vDash \alpha$ is not defined, because we have not specified $s$.


Conclusion: you have to check the details of the semantic specifications of your textbook.