We show that g ≤ c(Sym(ω)) where g is the groupwise density number and c(Sym(ω)) is the cofinality of the infinite symmetric group. This solves (the second half of) a problem addressed by Thomas.

We prove the consistency result from the title. By forcing we construct a model of g = ℵ l , b = cf(Sym(ω)) = ℵ 2.

We investigate cardinal invariants related to the structure of dense sets of rationals modulo the nowhere dense sets. We prove that , thus dualizing the already known [B. Balcar, F. Hernández-Hernández, M. Hrušák, Combinatorics of dense subsets of the rationals, Fund. Math. 183 59–80, Theorem 3.6]. We also show the consistency of each of and . Our results answer four questions of Balcar, Hernández and Hrušák [B. Balcar, F. Hernández-Hernández, M. Hrušák, Combinatorics of dense subsets of the rationals, Fund. Math. (...) 183 59–80, Questions 3.11]. (shrink)

We prove that if an ultrafilter \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\mathcal{L}}$$\end{document} is not coherent to a Q-point, then each analytic non-σ-bounded topological group G admits an increasing chain \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\langle G_\alpha:\alpha < \mathfrak b(\mathcal L)\rangle}$$\end{document} of its proper subgroups such that: (i) \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\bigcup_{\alpha}G_\alpha=G}$$\end{document}; and (ii) For every σ-bounded subgroup H of G there exists α such that \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} (...) \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${H\subset G_\alpha}$$\end{document}. In case of the group Sym(ω) of all permutations of ω with the topology inherited from ωω this improves upon earlier results of S. Thomas. (shrink)