Uncountable Sets: Proving N to N Bijections Are Uncountable

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In summary, the problem is trying to prove that the set of bijections from N to N is uncountable, and the attempt at a solution is to represent each biejction as an infinite sequence of un-repeating integers. The problem then becomes showing the uncountabilty of the set of infinite sequences.
  • #1
sha sam
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1. The problem statement

Need to prove that the set of bijections from N to N is uncountable.2. The attempt at a solution

I'm not really sure how to proceed here but what I did so far is this...

f(2i) = { 2i+1, if fi(2i)=2i
2i , if fi(2i)not equal to =2i }Not very sure what I'm going to do.

Please help me.
 
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  • #2
you could try to start by representing each biejction as an infinite sequence of un-repeating integers (similar to a permutation)

The problem then becomes showing the uncountability of the set of infinite sequences...

if you have been shown the uncountabilty of the reals, you may be able to use a similar argument...
 
  • #3
For each bijection, you can construct a real number by .0.f(1)f(2)f(3)... . Can you show that that set of real numbers is uncountable?
 
  • #4
Not really sure how to do that.

Can you please help me out?
 
  • #5
Are you familiar with Cantor's argument to show the reals are uncountable?
 
  • #6
Is this proof on real numbers correct? Then how do I proceed from here to show the bijection from N to N is uncountable?

Let A be a set of Real numbers between numbers 0 and 1.

Suppose x0, x1, x2, ... is any sequence of elements of A, there is an element xεA that is not in the sequence for every i>=0 and x≠xi .

X0 -> 0.x0,0 x0,1 x0,2 …
X1 -> 0.x1,0 x1,1 x1,2 …
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Assume the element not in A is X -> 0.x0 x1 x2…

Then xi=xi,i and the sequence of x0 x1 x2 doesnot end with .99999…….
The xi= 1 if xi,i≠1 and xi= 0 if xi,i=1

As the real numbers between 0 and 1 are uncountable and it’s a subset of the total real numbers, the set of real numbers are uncountable.
 

1. What is an uncountable set?

An uncountable set is a set that cannot be put into a one-to-one correspondence with the set of natural numbers (N). This means that the elements of the set cannot be counted or listed in a sequence.

2. How do you prove that N to N bijections are uncountable?

The proof for this involves using the diagonalization method, also known as Cantor's diagonal argument. This method shows that for any attempted list of all possible bijections between N and N, there will always be a new bijection that is not included in the list. Therefore, the set of bijections is uncountable.

3. Why is it important to prove that N to N bijections are uncountable?

This proof is important because it helps to establish the concept of cardinality, which is a way of measuring the size of a set. The uncountability of N to N bijections means that there are more real numbers than natural numbers, which has significant implications in fields such as mathematics, computer science, and physics.

4. Can you provide an example of an uncountable set?

One example of an uncountable set is the set of real numbers (R). This set includes all rational and irrational numbers, and it is impossible to list or count all of its elements in a sequence. Therefore, it is considered an uncountable set.

5. What are some implications of the uncountability of N to N bijections?

One implication is that there are different levels of infinity, as the set of real numbers is larger than the set of natural numbers. This has also led to the development of new theories and concepts, such as Cantor's continuum hypothesis, which explores the properties of uncountable sets. In addition, the uncountability of N to N bijections has practical applications in fields such as data encryption and computer science algorithms.

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