Related papers: On Cantor's important proofs
A common question from students on the usual diagonalization proof for the uncountability of the set of real numbers is: when a representation of real numbers, such as the decimal expansions of real numbers, allows us to use the…
In his first set theory paper (1874), Cantor establishes the uncountability of $\mathbb{R}$. We study the latter in Kohlenbach's higher-order Reverse Mathematics, motivated by the observation that one cannot study concepts like `arbitrary…
The famous contradiction of a bijection between a set and its power set is a consequence of the impredicative definition involved. This is shown by the fact that a simple mapping between equivalent sets does also fail to satisfy the…
This work presents theorems which state (i) Z is a proper subset for any bijection f between A and Z, where Z is contained in P(A), A is a non-finite set and |Z|=|A|, and (ii) being Z a proper subset of P(A) nothing affirms or denies that…
This paper provides some counterexamples to Cantor's contributions to the foundations of Set Theory. The first counterexample forces Cantor's Diagonal Method (DM) to yield one of the numbers in the target list. To study this anomaly, and…
Cantor's first set theory paper (1874) establishes the uncountability of $\mathbb{R}$. We study this most basic mathematical fact formulated in the language of higher-order arithmetic. In particular, we investigate the logical and…
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…
We indicate a way of distinguishing between structures, for which, two structures are said to be separable.Being separable implies being non-isomorphic. We show that for any first order theory $T$ in a countable language, if it has an…
We offer a new proof (and review some known proofs) of Cantor's Powerset Theorem (1891), which concerns the non-existence of a surjective function from a set onto its powerset.
Four constructions result from a desire to create enhancements to Cantor's infinite real set cardinality. Each continues to keep Cantor's cardinality formulation in place while providing new comparisons of arbitrary infinite sets. To…
The article is devoted to the alternating Cantor series. It is proved that any real number belonging to $[a_0-1;a_0]$, where $a_0=\sum^{\infty} _{k=1} {\frac{d_{2k}-1}{d_1d_2...d_{2k}}} $, has no more than two representations by the series…
Several examples are used to illustrate how we deal cavalierly with infinities and unphysical systems in physics. Upon examining these examples in the context of infinities from Cantor's theory of transfinite numbers, the only known…
The concept of ``countable set'' is attributed to Georg Cantor, who set the boundary between countable and uncountable sets in 1874. The concept of ``computable set'' arose in the study of computing models in the 1930s by the founders of…
Cantor's ordinal numbers, a powerful extension of the natural numbers, are a cornerstone of set theory. They can be used to reason about the termination of processes, prove the consistency of logical systems, and justify some of the core…
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…
This somewhat unusual proof for the fact that the reals are uncountable, which is adapted from one of Bourbaki's proofs in "Fonctions d'une variable reelle", may be of some interest.
A 1910 theorem of Brouwer characterizes the Cantor set as the unique totally disconnected, compact metric space without isolated points. A 1920 theorem of Sierpinski characterizes the rationals as the unique countable metric space without…
A proof that the set of real numbers is denumerable is given.
From 1873 to 1897, Georg Cantor worked on developing set theory, and despite a strong initial resistance, it rapidly became accepted as the foundation of mathematics. In this work, however, we'll demonstrate that Cantor's use of infinity is…
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…