Exercise 7.1.3

For any set A , there is a mapping of 𝒫 ( A × A ) onto h ( A ) . [Hint: Define f ( R ) = the ordinal isomorphic to R , if R A × A is a well-ordering of its field; f ( R ) = 0 otherwise.]

Answers

Lemma 1. For a set A and ordinal α , if α is equipotent to a subset of A then α < h ( A ) .

Proof. Suppose that α is equipotent to X A but that α h ( A ) . Clearly if α = h ( A ) then h ( A ) is equipotent to X A (since α is), which contradicts the definition of the Hartogs number. On the other hand if α > h ( A ) then let f be a bijection from α to X . Then, since h ( A ) < α we have that h ( A ) α and h ( A ) α since ordinals are transitive. It then follows that f h ( A ) is a bijection from h ( A ) to f [ h ( A ) ] X A . Hence again h ( A ) is equipotent to a subset of A , contradicting the definition of the Hartogs number. So it has to be that α < h ( A ) as desired. □

Main Problem.

Proof. We define a function f : 𝒫 ( A × A ) h ( A ) . So for any R 𝒫 ( A × A ) clearly R A × A so that R is a relation on A . If R is a well-ordering of some X A then by Theorem 6.3.1 there is a unique ordinal α such that ( X , R ) is isomorphic to α . We then set

f ( R ) = { α R  is a well-ordering of some  X A 0 R  is not a well-ordering of any  X A .

First we show that f ( R ) really is in h ( A ) for any R 𝒫 ( A × A ) . So for any such R , if R is not a well-ordering of some X A then clearly f ( R ) = 0 . Then, since clearly A and is equipotent to 0, it follows that 0 < h ( A ) by Lemma 1. Hence f ( R ) = 0 h ( A ) . On the other hand if R is a well-ordering of some X A then let α be the ordinal isomorphic to ( X , R ) so that f ( R ) = α . Since this means that α is equipotent to X A , it again follows from Lemma 1 that α < h ( A ) so that f ( R ) = α h ( A ) .

To show that f is surjective consider any α h ( A ) so that α < h ( A ) . Since by definition h ( A ) is the least ordinal that is not equipotent to a subset of A it follows that α has to be equipotent to an X A . Then let R be the well-ordering of X such that ( X , R ) is isomorphic to α . Clearly R is a relation on X and therefore also a relation on A since X A . Thus R A × A so that R 𝒫 ( A × A ) . Clearly also f ( R ) = α and since α was arbitrary this shows that f is surjective. □

Note that this does not mean that h ( A ) | 𝒫 ( A × A ) | unless the Axiom of Choice is employed.

User profile picture
2024-07-15 11:42
Comments