Apparent paradox in cardinalities

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the concept of "sturdy" numbers, defined as natural numbers not divisible by any perfect square other than 1. The user proposes that the set of sturdy numbers (S) and the set of prime numbers (P) share the same cardinality, \aleph_{0}, leading to a paradox when comparing the cardinality of the power set of primes (Q) with S. The user mistakenly assumes a one-to-one mapping from Q to S, which contradicts Cantor's theorem, establishing that Q must have a greater cardinality than S. The resolution lies in correctly defining Q as the power set of P rather than just finite subsets.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of cardinality in set theory
  • Familiarity with Cantor's theorem
  • Basic knowledge of prime numbers and their properties
  • Concept of sturdy numbers in number theory
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  • Study the implications of Cantor's theorem on different sets
  • Explore the properties and definitions of sturdy numbers in detail
  • Learn about the structure and significance of power sets
  • Investigate the relationship between infinite sets and their cardinalities
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Amateur mathematicians, number theorists, and anyone interested in set theory and cardinality paradoxes will benefit from this discussion.

zzedar
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I'm strictly amateur at number theory (Not even studying it, just playing around for fun), so forgive me if I'm being foolish here. I've found a "proof" of something that is clearly wrong, and I can't find my mistake, so I'd appreciate anybody's help in figuring out what I did wrong. Also please forgive me for changing the template provided, but the existing one didn't make any sense for this question.

1. Definitions

First, I define a "sturdy" number as any natural number that is not divisible by any perfect square other than 1. To put it another way, if you were to decompose a sturdy number into its prime factors, each prime factor would be raised to the first (or zeroth) power. Let S be the set of all sturdy numbers, {1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10,...}.

Let P be the set of all prime numbers, {2,3,5,7,...}.

Let Q denote the power set of P: {∅,{2},{3},{2,3},{5},{2,5},{3,5},{2,3,5},...}.

2. Relevant theorems

Cantor's theorem (for any set A, the power set of A has greater cardinality than A).
Euclid's proof of the infinitude of primes

3. My reasoning

For any sturdy number s, multiplying s by a prime that does not divide s yields another sturdy number. Since there are infinite primes, there are also infinite sturdy numbers.

Since the sturdy numbers are a subset of the natural numbers, S must be countable. Since S is countable and infinite, it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers, \aleph_{0}.

Since the primes are a subset of the natural numbers, P is countable. Since there are infinite primes, P is countably infinite, so it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers.

Therefore, P and S have the same cardinality, \aleph_{0}.

By Cantor's theorem, Q must have greater cardinality than P. Since P and S have the same cardinality, Q must have greater cardinality than S. However, there exists a one-to-one mapping from Q to S. Map the empty set to 1, and map each other set in Q to the product of its members. Therefore, Q and S must have the same cardinality. However, I've already shown that Q must have greater cardinality than S! How do I resolve this paradox?
 
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zzedar said:
I'm strictly amateur at number theory (Not even studying it, just playing around for fun), so forgive me if I'm being foolish here. I've found a "proof" of something that is clearly wrong, and I can't find my mistake, so I'd appreciate anybody's help in figuring out what I did wrong. Also please forgive me for changing the template provided, but the existing one didn't make any sense for this question.

1. Definitions

First, I define a "sturdy" number as any natural number that is not divisible by any perfect square other than 1. To put it another way, if you were to decompose a sturdy number into its prime factors, each prime factor would be raised to the first (or zeroth) power. Let S be the set of all sturdy numbers, {1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10,...}.

Let P be the set of all prime numbers, {2,3,5,7,...}.

Let Q denote the power set of P: {∅,{2},{3},{2,3},{5},{2,5},{3,5},{2,3,5},...}.

2. Relevant theorems

Cantor's theorem (for any set A, the power set of A has greater cardinality than A).
Euclid's proof of the infinitude of primes

3. My reasoning

For any sturdy number s, multiplying s by a prime that does not divide s yields another sturdy number. Since there are infinite primes, there are also infinite sturdy numbers.

Since the sturdy numbers are a subset of the natural numbers, S must be countable. Since S is countable and infinite, it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers, \aleph_{0}.

Since the primes are a subset of the natural numbers, P is countable. Since there are infinite primes, P is countably infinite, so it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers.

Therefore, P and S have the same cardinality, \aleph_{0}.

By Cantor's theorem, Q must have greater cardinality than P. Since P and S have the same cardinality, Q must have greater cardinality than S. However, there exists a one-to-one mapping from Q to S. Map the empty set to 1, and map each other set in Q to the product of its members. Therefore, Q and S must have the same cardinality. However, I've already shown that Q must have greater cardinality than S! How do I resolve this paradox?

So far you haven't listed any infinite sets in Q. The power set of P certainly contains a LOT of them. If you mean Q to be the set of all finite subsets of P (which is NOT the power set), then that is countable and has the same cardinality as P.
 

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