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Cumulative Hierarchy
In mathematics, specifically set theory, a cumulative hierarchy is a family of sets W_\alpha indexed by ordinals \alpha such that * W_\alpha \subseteq W_ * If \lambda is a limit ordinal, then W_\lambda = \bigcup_ W_ Some authors additionally require that W_ \subseteq \mathcal P(W_\alpha). The union W = \bigcup_ W_\alpha of the sets of a cumulative hierarchy is often used as a model of set theory. The phrase "the cumulative hierarchy" usually refers to the von Neumann universe, which has W_ = \mathcal P(W_\alpha). Reflection principle A cumulative hierarchy satisfies a form of the reflection principle: any formula in the language of set theory that holds in the union W of the hierarchy also holds in some stages W_\alpha. Examples * The von Neumann universe is built from a cumulative hierarchy \mathrm_\alpha. *The sets \mathrm_\alpha of the constructible universe form a cumulative hierarchy. *The Boolean-valued models constructed by forcing are built using a cumulative hierar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many areas of mathematics, which include number theory (the study of numbers), algebra (the study of formulas and related structures), geometry (the study of shapes and spaces that contain them), Mathematical analysis, analysis (the study of continuous changes), and set theory (presently used as a foundation for all mathematics). Mathematics involves the description and manipulation of mathematical object, abstract objects that consist of either abstraction (mathematics), abstractions from nature orin modern mathematicspurely abstract entities that are stipulated to have certain properties, called axioms. Mathematics uses pure reason to proof (mathematics), prove properties of objects, a ''proof'' consisting of a succession of applications of in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Set Theory
Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies Set (mathematics), sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory – as a branch of mathematics – is mostly concerned with those that are relevant to mathematics as a whole. The modern study of set theory was initiated by the German mathematicians Richard Dedekind and Georg Cantor in the 1870s. In particular, Georg Cantor is commonly considered the founder of set theory. The non-formalized systems investigated during this early stage go under the name of ''naive set theory''. After the discovery of Paradoxes of set theory, paradoxes within naive set theory (such as Russell's paradox, Cantor's paradox and the Burali-Forti paradox), various axiomatic systems were proposed in the early twentieth century, of which Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory (with or without the axiom of choice) is still the best-known and most studied. Set the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Set (mathematics)
In mathematics, a set is a collection of different things; the things are '' elements'' or ''members'' of the set and are typically mathematical objects: numbers, symbols, points in space, lines, other geometric shapes, variables, or other sets. A set may be finite or infinite. There is a unique set with no elements, called the empty set; a set with a single element is a singleton. Sets are ubiquitous in modern mathematics. Indeed, set theory, more specifically Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, has been the standard way to provide rigorous foundations for all branches of mathematics since the first half of the 20th century. Context Before the end of the 19th century, sets were not studied specifically, and were not clearly distinguished from sequences. Most mathematicians considered infinity as potentialmeaning that it is the result of an endless processand were reluctant to consider infinite sets, that is sets whose number of members is not a natural number. Specific ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Ordinal Number
In set theory, an ordinal number, or ordinal, is a generalization of ordinal numerals (first, second, th, etc.) aimed to extend enumeration to infinite sets. A finite set can be enumerated by successively labeling each element with the least natural number that has not been previously used. To extend this process to various infinite sets, ordinal numbers are defined more generally using linearly ordered greek letter variables that include the natural numbers and have the property that every set of ordinals has a least or "smallest" element (this is needed for giving a meaning to "the least unused element"). This more general definition allows us to define an ordinal number \omega (omega) to be the least element that is greater than every natural number, along with ordinal numbers , , etc., which are even greater than . A linear order such that every non-empty subset has a least element is called a well-order. The axiom of choice implies that every set can be well-orde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Limit Ordinal
In set theory, a limit ordinal is an ordinal number that is neither zero nor a successor ordinal. Alternatively, an ordinal λ is a limit ordinal if there is an ordinal less than λ, and whenever β is an ordinal less than λ, then there exists an ordinal γ such that β 0, are limits of limits, etc. Properties The classes of successor ordinals and limit ordinals (of various cofinalities) as well as zero exhaust the entire class of ordinals, so these cases are often used in proofs by transfinite induction or definitions by transfinite recursion. Limit ordinals represent a sort of "turning point" in such procedures, in which one must use limiting operations such as taking the union over all preceding ordinals. In principle, one could do anything at limit ordinals, but taking the union is continuous in the order topology and this is usually desirable. If we use the von Neumann cardinal assignment, every infinite cardinal number In mathematics, a cardinal number, or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Union (set Theory)
In set theory, the union (denoted by ∪) of a collection of Set (mathematics), sets is the set of all element (set theory), elements in the collection. It is one of the fundamental operations through which sets can be combined and related to each other. A refers to a union of Zero, zero () sets and it is by definition equal to the empty set. For explanation of the symbols used in this article, refer to the List of mathematical symbols, table of mathematical symbols. Binary union The union of two sets ''A'' and ''B'' is the set of elements which are in ''A'', in ''B'', or in both ''A'' and ''B''. In set-builder notation, : A \cup B = \. For example, if ''A'' = and ''B'' = then ''A'' ∪ ''B'' = . A more elaborate example (involving two infinite sets) is: : ''A'' = : ''B'' = : A \cup B = \ As another example, the number 9 is ''not'' contained in the union of the set of prime numbers and the set of even numbers , because 9 is neither prime nor even. Sets cannot ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Von Neumann Universe
In set theory and related branches of mathematics, the von Neumann universe, or von Neumann hierarchy of sets, denoted by ''V'', is the class of hereditary well-founded sets. This collection, which is formalized by Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory (ZFC), is often used to provide an interpretation or motivation of the axioms of ZFC. The concept is named after John von Neumann, although it was first published by Ernst Zermelo in 1930. The rank of a well-founded set is defined inductively as the smallest ordinal number greater than the ranks of all members of the set. In particular, the rank of the empty set is zero, and every ordinal has a rank equal to itself. The sets in ''V'' are divided into the transfinite hierarchy ''Vα'', called the cumulative hierarchy, based on their rank. Definition The cumulative hierarchy is a collection of sets ''V''α indexed by the class of ordinal numbers; in particular, ''V''α is the set of all sets having ranks less than α. Thus there is one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Reflection Principle
In set theory, a branch of mathematics, a reflection principle says that it is possible to find sets that, with respect to any given property, resemble the class of all sets. There are several different forms of the reflection principle depending on exactly what is meant by "resemble". Weak forms of the reflection principle are theorems of ZF set theory due to , while stronger forms can be new and very powerful axioms for set theory. The name "reflection principle" comes from the fact that properties of the universe of all sets are "reflected" down to a smaller set. Motivation A naive version of the reflection principle states that "for any property of the universe of all sets we can find a set with the same property". This leads to an immediate contradiction: the universe of all sets contains all sets, but there is no set with the property that it contains all sets. To get useful (and non-contradictory) reflection principles we need to be more careful about what we mean by "prop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Well-formed Formula
In mathematical logic, propositional logic and predicate logic, a well-formed formula, abbreviated WFF or wff, often simply formula, is a finite sequence of symbols from a given alphabet that is part of a formal language. The abbreviation wff is pronounced "woof", or sometimes "wiff", "weff", or "whiff". A formal language can be identified with the set of formulas in the language. A formula is a syntactic object that can be given a semantic meaning by means of an interpretation. Two key uses of formulas are in propositional logic and predicate logic. Introduction A key use of formulas is in propositional logic and predicate logic such as first-order logic. In those contexts, a formula is a string of symbols φ for which it makes sense to ask "is φ true?", once any free variables in φ have been instantiated. In formal logic, proofs can be represented by sequences of formulas with certain properties, and the final formula in the sequence is what is proven. Alth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Constructible Universe
In mathematics, in set theory, the constructible universe (or Gödel's constructible universe), denoted by L, is a particular Class (set theory), class of Set (mathematics), sets that can be described entirely in terms of simpler sets. L is the union of the constructible hierarchy L_\alpha. It was introduced by Kurt Gödel in his 1938 paper "The Consistency of the Axiom of Choice and of the Generalized Continuum-Hypothesis". In this paper, he proved that the constructible universe is an inner model of ZF set theory (that is, of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice excluded), and also that the axiom of choice and the Continuum hypothesis#The generalized continuum hypothesis, generalized continuum hypothesis are true in the constructible universe. This shows that both propositions are consistent with the basic axioms of set theory, if ZF itself is consistent. Since many other theorems only hold in systems in which one or both of the propositions is true, their consis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Boolean-valued Model
In mathematical logic, a Boolean-valued model is a generalization of the ordinary Tarskian notion of structure from model theory. In a Boolean-valued model, the truth values of propositions are not limited to "true" and "false", but instead take values in some fixed complete Boolean algebra. Boolean-valued models were introduced by Dana Scott, Robert M. Solovay, and Petr Vopěnka in the 1960s in order to help understand Paul Cohen's method of forcing. They are also related to Heyting algebra semantics in intuitionistic logic. Definition Fix a complete Boolean algebra ''B''''B'' here is assumed to be ''nondegenerate''; that is, 0 and 1 must be distinct elements of ''B''. Authors writing on Boolean-valued models typically take this requirement to be part of the definition of "Boolean algebra", but authors writing on Boolean algebras in general often do not. and a first-order language ''L''; the signature of ''L'' will consist of a collection of constant symbols, function symbol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Forcing (mathematics)
In the mathematical discipline of set theory, forcing is a technique for proving consistency and independence (mathematical logic), independence results. Intuitively, forcing can be thought of as a technique to expand the set theoretical universe (mathematics), universe V to a larger universe V[G] by introducing a new "generic" object G. Forcing was first used by Paul Cohen (mathematician), Paul Cohen in 1963, to prove the independence of the axiom of choice and the continuum hypothesis from Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory. It has been considerably reworked and simplified in the following years, and has since served as a powerful technique, both in set theory and in areas of mathematical logic such as recursion theory. Descriptive set theory uses the notions of forcing from both recursion theory and set theory. Forcing has also been used in model theory, but it is common in model theory to define generic filter, genericity directly without mention of forcing. Intuition Forcing is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |