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Exercise 6.2.8
If is a nonempty set of ordinals, then is an ordinal. Moreover is the least element of .
Answers
Proof. Suppose that is a set of ordinals. Then by Theorem 6.2.6d has a least element . We shall show that , which simultaneously shows that is an ordinal and the least element of .
Consider any . Since is the least element so that or . Clearly in the former case. In the latter case we have so that as well since is transitive (since it is an ordinal). Since was arbitrary any is also in every so that so that since was arbitrary.
Now consider any . Then clearly since so that since was arbitrary.
Thus we have shown that as desired. □