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In reply to the discussion: If you're having math problems, I feel bad for you, son... [View all]Dr. Strange
(26,058 posts)38. Not quite.
That defines a 1-to-1 mapping between the naturals and all the sets of the naturals. So by induction, for every n+1 starting at 1, the number representing the set of all numbers up to and including n+1 (call it the set number) can be gotten by adding 2^(n+1) to the set number that corresponded to n. So clearly, for every set of natural numbers, there is a set number that is also a natural number. So because the set of ALL natural numbers is itself a set of natural numbers, there must be a set number for that too, also contained in n. Clearly, the length of this number is infinite, so there must be an infinitely long number in n.
You've defined a one-to-one correspondence between the natural numbers and all FINITE subsets of the natural numbers. But if you look at the subsets {2, 3, 5, ...} and {10, 20, 30, ...} (the set of primes and the set of multiples of 10), then they would both correspond to divergent series instead of actual natural numbers.
So, in short, your first argument is right.
However, it is still true that 0.9999... = 1.
And now, for some fun: what is the smallest positive integer that can not be described using fewer than one hundred letters?
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Question for math teacher - Please. At the end of the year I have 100,000 Pesos...
wake.up.america
Feb 2013
#43
A set of numbers is countable if it has the same cardinality as some subset of the natural numbers.
Jim__
Mar 2012
#4
"there do not exist 2 integers, say n and m, such that pi can be written as n/m"
napoleon_in_rags
Mar 2012
#5
"... you know Z plus all integers of infinite length would probably have the same cardinality as R."
Jim__
Mar 2012
#7
As simply as it can be put, your statement is in direct contradiction to a Zermelo-Fraenkel axiom.
Jim__
Mar 2012
#12
Yeah, it guarantees the size N is infinite, not that any number in N is infinite.
napoleon_in_rags
Apr 2012
#20
I'm just incredibly glad to hear these people seeing the holes in set theory.
napoleon_in_rags
Apr 2012
#39