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The subject of this lecture is the concept of "the power of
set".
This notion generalises the idea of "the number of elements" in finite
sets. Unfortunately, the intuitions that concern finite sets are not
always proper for infinite sets. For example, if we imagine an infinite
box full of natural numbers, then there is still enough room to put
in a new element. Moreover we can put in all rational numbers and there
is enough room for all of them!
Moreover, in spite of the infinity of
natural numbers' set, it is so tiny in comparison with the set of real
numbers that it can be stored in every arbitrary small interval of real
numbers. On the other hand, the set of real numbers, although
extremely large
(we can
not even enumerate its elements), may be immersed in every proper,
even very small own interval. Really amazing!
It crucial for understanding this lecture to get the grasp of the
concept of
equipotence.
In the set of all subsets of some universe, equipotence is
an equivalence relation the abstraction classes of which are
exactly the powers (or cardinality) of sets. Using the notion of
equipotence, we introduce three basic
types of sets: finite, enumerable (countable) and not enumerable
(uncountable).
In practise we usually deal with finite sets. Computer
implementation of both natural numbers' set and real numbers' set are
strictly finite. All sets of data and information which we store in
files, data bases or information systems are also finite structures.
But sometimes we walk very close to infinity. For example, if a program
with the "while" loop is executed long enough, it can print on the
computer's
screen any freely large set. Furthermore, if we set incorrect
loop condition, then our program (theoretically) may execute for ever.
This observation also applies to recursion based computer programs.
Definition of class in object programming languages, i.e. every pattern
of
creating objects, is a definition of a hypothetically infinite
enumerable
set.
In this lecture we present several examples of enumerable and not
enumerable sets. We also present
one of the most important theorems of set theory which
states that cardinal number of the power set is always larger then the
cardinal
number of the source set. This implies that there are infinitely
many cardinal numbers that are powers of infinite sets.
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