Applications of finite duality to locally finite varieties of BL-algebras

Abstract

We are concerned with the subvariety of commutative, bounded, and integral residuated lattices, satisfying divisibility and prelinearity, namely, BL-algebras. We give an explicit combinatorial description of the category that is dual to finite BL-algebras. Building on this, we obtain detailed structural information on the locally finite subvarieties of BL-algebras that are analogous to Grigolia's subvarieties of finite-valued MV-algebras. As an illustration of the power of the finite duality presented here, we give an exact recursive formula for the cardinality of free finitely generated algebras in such varieties. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.