Related papers: Remarks on Cantor's diagonalization proof of 1891

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…

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 --…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

By closely rereading the original Turing's 1936 article, we can gain insight about that it is based on the claim to have defined a number which is not computable, arguing that there can be no machine computing the diagonal on the…

Since the theory developed by Georg Cantor, mathematicians have taken a sharp interest in the sizes of infinite sets. We know that the set of integers is infinitely countable and that its cardinality is Aleph0. Cantor proved in 1891 with…

The uncountability of the real numbers is one of their most basic properties, known (far) outside of mathematics. Cantor's 1874 proof of the uncountability of the real numbers even appears in the very first paper on set theory, i.e. a…

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…

This paper examines the possibilities of extending Cantor's two arguments on the uncountable nature of the set of real numbers to one of its proper denumerable subsets: the set of rational numbers. The paper proves that, unless certain…

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…

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…

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…

This article explores the model-dependent nature of set cardinality, emphasizing that cardinality is not absolute but varies across different axiomatic frameworks. Although Cantor's diagonal argument shows the real numbers are…

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…

The uncountability of the reals was first established by Cantor in what was later heralded as the first paper on set theory. Since the latter constitutes the official foundations of mathematics, the logical study of the uncountability of…