What is the Countable Union of Countable Sets?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the concept of the countable union of countable sets, specifically demonstrating that if I is a countable set and each set Ai indexed by i ∈ I is countable, then the union U i ∈ I Ai is also countable. The discussion outlines a structured approach to proving this, including the construction of a family of countable sets Ci and pairwise disjoint sets Bi. The conclusion is that the union of these sets retains countability, affirming the foundational principles of set theory.

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  • Understanding of set theory and definitions of countable sets.
  • Familiarity with indexed families of sets.
  • Knowledge of basic proof techniques in mathematics.
  • Ability to work with unions and intersections of sets.
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  • Study the properties of countable sets in detail.
  • Learn about indexed families of sets and their applications.
  • Explore proof techniques in set theory, particularly involving unions and intersections.
  • Review the definitions and examples of countable versus uncountable sets.
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Mathematicians, students studying set theory, and anyone interested in the foundations of mathematics and the properties of countable sets.

dlee
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What is a countable set exactly? HELP? Can someone help guide me through this problem? I'm a bit lost on how to show this...

Countable union of countable sets: Let I be a countable set. Let Ai , i ∈ I be a family of sets such that each Ai is countable. We will show that U i ∈ I Ai is countable.

(1) Show that there exists a family of sets C1, C2, C3,..., i.e, a family of sets Ci indexed by i ∈ N such that Ci is countable for every i ∈ N and U i ∈ I Ai = U i ∈ N Ci.
(Hint: Some of the Ci can be empty sets.)

(2) Show that there exists a family of sets Bi , i ∈ N such that U i ∈ N Ci = U i ∈ N Bi, each Bi is countable and Bi ⋂ Bj = ∅ for any i ≠ j , i.e., the Bi’s are pairwise disjoint.
(Hint: Think of the construction Bi = Ci \ (C1⋃ C2⋃ ... ⋃ Ci - 1).)

(3) Show that U i ∈ N Bi is countable for the family of sets Bi , i ∈ N from part (ii). You may assume that |N x N| = |N|.

(4) Hence conclude U i ∈ I Ai is countable.
 
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dlee said:
What is a countable set exactly?
Why don't you look up the definition in your textbook or lecture notes? As you can see from Wikipedia, "countable" is used in two senses.

dlee said:
Can someone help guide me through this problem? I'm a bit lost on how to show this...
In turn, can you show what you tried or describe your difficulty? The points (1) and (2) seem pretty straightforward since the given hints describe the necessary definitions.
 

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