Related papers: Cantor versus Cantor
It is shown that the pillars of transfinite set theory, namely the uncountability proofs, do not hold. (1) Cantor's first proof of the uncountability of the set of all real numbers does not apply to the set of irrational numbers alone, and,…
This article critically reappraises arguments in support of Cantor's theory of transfinite numbers. The following results are reported: i) Cantor's proofs of nondenumerability are refuted by analyzing the logical inconsistencies in…
For more than a century, Cantor's theory of transfinite numbers has played a pivotal role in set theory, with ramifications that extend to many areas of mathematics. This article extends earlier findings with a fresh look at the critical…
Cantor's famous proof of the non-denumerability of real numbers does apply to any infinite set. The set of exclusively all natural numbers does not exist. This shows that the concept of countability is not well defined. There remains no…
In 1891 Cantor presented two proofs with the purpose to establish a general theorem that any set can be replaced by a set of greater power. Cantor's power set theorem can be considered to be an extension of Cantor's 1891 second proof and…
We apply an inductive argument to three theorems of Cantor on (1) the uncountability of infinite binary sequences, (2) the uncountability of real numbers, and (3) the non-equinumerosity of sets with their powersets. This technique proves…
This survey is devoted to necessary and suffcient conditions for a rational number to be representable by a Cantor series. Necessary and suffcient conditions are formulated for the case of an arbitrary sequence $(q_k)$.
The proofs that the real numbers are denumerable will be shown, i.e., that there exists one-to-one correspondence between the natural numbers $N$ and the real numbers $\Re$. The general element of the sequence that contains all real numbers…
The article is devoted to the investigation of representation of rational numbers by Cantor series. Necessary and sufficient conditions for a rational number to be representable by a positive Cantor series are formulated for the case of an…
Transfinite set theory including the axiom of choice supplies the following basic theorems: (1) Mappings between infinite sets can always be completed, such that at least one of the sets is exhausted. (2) The real numbers can be well…
The existence of two different Cantor sets, one of them contained in the set of Liouville numbers and the other one inside the set of Diophantine numbers, is proved. Finally, a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a…
Cantor's diagonal method is traditionally used to prove the uncountability of the set of all infinite binary sequences. This paper analyzes the expressive limits of this method. It is shown that under any constructive application --…
We determine the sets definable in expansions of the ordered real additive group by generalized Cantor sets. Given a natural number $r\geq 3$, we say a set $C$ is a generalized Cantor set in base $r$ if there is a non-empty…
For any particularly interesting theorem one proof is never enough. Instead, the first proof sets the challenge to find a more elegant method that illuminates subtle features of the math, is simpler to understand, or even avoids using…
Remarks on the Cantor's nondenumerability proof of 1891 that the real numbers are noncountable will be given. By the Cantor's diagonal procedure, it is not possible to build numbers that are different from all numbers in a general assumed…
Whatever other beliefs there may remain for considering Cantor's diagonal argument as mathematically legitimate, there are three that, prima facie, lend it an illusory legitimacy; they need to be explicitly discounted appropriately. The…
In this article, we explore the notion of infinity by studying Cantor's contribution to this field. A brief history of set theory is given. As an example of infinity, we consider Hilbert's famous hotel. A graphical construction is used to…
The main purpose of this paper is to prove that the positive real numbers can be decomposed into finitely many disjoint pieces which are also closed under addition and multiplication. As a byproduct of the argument we determine all the…
It is shown that any denumerable list L to which Cantor's diagonal method was applied is incomplete. However, this doesn't allow us to affirm that the cardinality of the real numbers of the interval [0, 1] is greater than the cardinality of…
The inconsistencies involved in the foundation of set theory were invariably caused by infinity and self-reference; and only with the opportune axiomatic restrictions could them be obviated. Throughout history, both concepts have proved to…