--- /dev/null
+(**************************************************************************)
+(* ___ *)
+(* ||M|| *)
+(* ||A|| A project by Andrea Asperti *)
+(* ||T|| *)
+(* ||I|| Developers: *)
+(* ||T|| The HELM team. *)
+(* ||A|| http://helm.cs.unibo.it *)
+(* \ / *)
+(* \ / This file is distributed under the terms of the *)
+(* v GNU General Public License Version 2 *)
+(* *)
+(**************************************************************************)
+
+include "ground/arith/pnat_le_pred.ma".
+include "ground/arith/pnat_lt.ma".
+
+(* STRICT ORDER FOR POSITIVE INTEGERS ***************************************)
+
+(* Destructions with ppred **************************************************)
+
+lemma plt_des_gen (p) (q): p < q → q = ↑↓q.
+#p #q elim q -q //
+#H elim (plt_inv_unit_dx … H)
+qed-.
+
+(* Inversions with ppred ****************************************************)
+
+lemma plt_inv_gen (p) (q): p < q → ∧∧ p ≤ ↓q & q = ↑↓q.
+/2 width=1 by ple_inv_succ_sn/ qed-.
+
+lemma plt_inv_succ_sn (p) (q): ↑p < q → ∧∧ p < ↓q & q = ↑↓q.
+/2 width=1 by ple_inv_succ_sn/ qed-.
+
+lemma plt_inv_pred_dx (p) (q): p < ↓q → ↑p < q.
+#p #q #H >(plt_des_gen (𝟏) q)
+[ /2 width=1 by plt_succ_bi/
+| /3 width=3 by ple_plt_trans, plt_ple_trans/
+]
+qed-.
+
+lemma plt_inv_pred_bi (p) (q):
+ ↓p < ↓q → p < q.
+/3 width=3 by plt_inv_pred_dx, ple_plt_trans/
+qed-.
+
+(* Constructions with ppred *************************************************)
+
+lemma plt_unit_sn (q): q = ↑↓q → 𝟏 < q.
+// qed.
+
+lemma plt_pred_bi (p) (q): 𝟏 < p → p < q → ↓p < ↓q.
+#p #q #Hp #Hpq
+@ple_inv_succ_bi
+<(plt_des_gen … Hp) -Hp
+<(plt_des_gen … Hpq) //
+qed.