Cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of [0,1]

In summary, the cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of the real interval [0,1] is equal to the cardinality of the set [0,1] and it is a countable union of subsets with varying cardinalities. This is because the power set of an infinite set always has a greater cardinality than the base set.
  • #1
Damidami
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Hello, I was wondering this, what is the cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of the real interval [0,1]

It somehow confuses me because the interval is nonnumerable (cardinality of the continuos [itex] \mathfrak{c}[/itex]), while the subsets are less than numerable (finite). It is clear that it has to be equal or greater than [itex] \mathfrak{c}[/itex] because one can consider subsets of only one element and there you got one set for each real number in the interval. It is equal to it, isn't?

Thanks.
 
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  • #2
Damidami said:
Hello, I was wondering this, what is the cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of the real interval [0,1]

It somehow confuses me because the interval is nonnumerable (cardinality of the continuos [itex] \mathfrak{c}[/itex]), while the subsets are less than numerable (finite). It is clear that it has to be equal or greater than [itex] \mathfrak{c}[/itex] because one can consider subsets of only one element and there you got one set for each real number in the interval. It is equal to it, isn't?

Thanks.

You are correct that the cardinality is at least as much as the cardinality of [0.1]. The power set of an infinite set always of greater cardinality than the base set. I don't know about the finite subsets.
 
  • #3
Damidami said:
Hello, I was wondering this, what is the cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of the real interval [0,1]

It somehow confuses me because the interval is nonnumerable (cardinality of the continuos [itex] \mathfrak{c}[/itex]), while the subsets are less than numerable (finite). It is clear that it has to be equal or greater than [itex] \mathfrak{c}[/itex] because one can consider subsets of only one element and there you got one set for each real number in the interval. It is equal to it, isn't?

Thanks.

Yes. Equality holds. To see this, try to figure out the cardinality of

[tex]\mathcal{A}_n=\{A\subseteq [0,1]~\vert~|A|=n\}[/tex]

Then the set you are looking for is

[tex]\bigcup_n \mathcal{A}_n[/tex]

a countable union.
 

1. What is the cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of [0,1]?

The cardinality of this set is c, or the cardinality of the continuum, which is equal to 2c or approximately 2.081. This means that there are uncountably infinite number of finite subsets in the interval [0,1].

2. How is the cardinality of this set different from the cardinality of the set of all real numbers?

The cardinality of the set of all real numbers is also c, but the cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of [0,1] is only a subset of the set of real numbers. This means that the set of real numbers is larger and has a greater cardinality than the set of finite subsets of [0,1].

3. Can the cardinality of this set be proven using Cantor's diagonalization argument?

Yes, Cantor's diagonalization argument can be used to prove that the cardinality of this set is c. This argument involves constructing a new set that is not in the original set, thus proving that the cardinality of the original set is not the largest possible cardinality.

4. Are there any infinite subsets within the set of all finite subsets of [0,1]?

No, all subsets within the set of all finite subsets of [0,1] are finite, meaning they contain a finite number of elements. This is because each subset is defined as containing a specific number of elements, and no more.

5. Is the cardinality of this set the same as the cardinality of the power set of [0,1]?

Yes, the cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of [0,1] is equal to the cardinality of the power set of [0,1], which is also c. This is because the power set contains all possible subsets of [0,1], including finite subsets.

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