Apparent paradox in cardinalities

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In summary, the conversation discusses a "proof" of a paradox involving the cardinality of infinite sets, specifically the sets of sturdy numbers and prime numbers. The speaker defines sturdy numbers and sets of primes, and uses Cantor's theorem and Euclid's proof to support their reasoning. However, the speaker encounters a paradox and asks for help in resolving it.
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zzedar
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I'm strictly amateur at number theory (Not even studying it, just playing around for fun), so forgive me if I'm being foolish here. I've found a "proof" of something that is clearly wrong, and I can't find my mistake, so I'd appreciate anybody's help in figuring out what I did wrong. Also please forgive me for changing the template provided, but the existing one didn't make any sense for this question.

1. Definitions

First, I define a "sturdy" number as any natural number that is not divisible by any perfect square other than 1. To put it another way, if you were to decompose a sturdy number into its prime factors, each prime factor would be raised to the first (or zeroth) power. Let S be the set of all sturdy numbers, {1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10,...}.

Let P be the set of all prime numbers, {2,3,5,7,...}.

Let Q denote the power set of P: {∅,{2},{3},{2,3},{5},{2,5},{3,5},{2,3,5},...}.

2. Relevant theorems

Cantor's theorem (for any set A, the power set of A has greater cardinality than A).
Euclid's proof of the infinitude of primes

3. My reasoning

For any sturdy number s, multiplying s by a prime that does not divide s yields another sturdy number. Since there are infinite primes, there are also infinite sturdy numbers.

Since the sturdy numbers are a subset of the natural numbers, S must be countable. Since S is countable and infinite, it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers, [itex]\aleph_{0}[/itex].

Since the primes are a subset of the natural numbers, P is countable. Since there are infinite primes, P is countably infinite, so it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers.

Therefore, P and S have the same cardinality, [itex]\aleph_{0}[/itex].

By Cantor's theorem, Q must have greater cardinality than P. Since P and S have the same cardinality, Q must have greater cardinality than S. However, there exists a one-to-one mapping from Q to S. Map the empty set to 1, and map each other set in Q to the product of its members. Therefore, Q and S must have the same cardinality. However, I've already shown that Q must have greater cardinality than S! How do I resolve this paradox?
 
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zzedar said:
I'm strictly amateur at number theory (Not even studying it, just playing around for fun), so forgive me if I'm being foolish here. I've found a "proof" of something that is clearly wrong, and I can't find my mistake, so I'd appreciate anybody's help in figuring out what I did wrong. Also please forgive me for changing the template provided, but the existing one didn't make any sense for this question.

1. Definitions

First, I define a "sturdy" number as any natural number that is not divisible by any perfect square other than 1. To put it another way, if you were to decompose a sturdy number into its prime factors, each prime factor would be raised to the first (or zeroth) power. Let S be the set of all sturdy numbers, {1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10,...}.

Let P be the set of all prime numbers, {2,3,5,7,...}.

Let Q denote the power set of P: {∅,{2},{3},{2,3},{5},{2,5},{3,5},{2,3,5},...}.

2. Relevant theorems

Cantor's theorem (for any set A, the power set of A has greater cardinality than A).
Euclid's proof of the infinitude of primes

3. My reasoning

For any sturdy number s, multiplying s by a prime that does not divide s yields another sturdy number. Since there are infinite primes, there are also infinite sturdy numbers.

Since the sturdy numbers are a subset of the natural numbers, S must be countable. Since S is countable and infinite, it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers, [itex]\aleph_{0}[/itex].

Since the primes are a subset of the natural numbers, P is countable. Since there are infinite primes, P is countably infinite, so it has the same cardinality as the set of natural numbers.

Therefore, P and S have the same cardinality, [itex]\aleph_{0}[/itex].

By Cantor's theorem, Q must have greater cardinality than P. Since P and S have the same cardinality, Q must have greater cardinality than S. However, there exists a one-to-one mapping from Q to S. Map the empty set to 1, and map each other set in Q to the product of its members. Therefore, Q and S must have the same cardinality. However, I've already shown that Q must have greater cardinality than S! How do I resolve this paradox?

So far you haven't listed any infinite sets in Q. The power set of P certainly contains a LOT of them. If you mean Q to be the set of all finite subsets of P (which is NOT the power set), then that is countable and has the same cardinality as P.
 

Related to Apparent paradox in cardinalities

What is an apparent paradox in cardinalities?

An apparent paradox in cardinalities is a mathematical phenomenon where two sets of objects appear to have different sizes, but in fact have the same cardinality or number of elements. This can occur when comparing infinite sets or when there is a mismatch between the definition of the sets.

How can two sets with different sizes have the same cardinality?

This can occur when dealing with infinite sets, where the concept of size is different from finite sets. For example, the set of all even numbers and the set of all whole numbers have different sizes, but they have the same cardinality because every even number can be paired with a unique whole number.

What is the Cantor-Schröder-Bernstein theorem?

The Cantor-Schröder-Bernstein theorem is a mathematical theorem that states that if there exists an injection (one-to-one function) from set A to set B and an injection from set B to set A, then there exists a bijection (one-to-one and onto function) between set A and set B. This theorem is often used to prove that two sets have the same cardinality.

What is the difference between countable and uncountable sets?

A countable set is a set that can be put into a one-to-one correspondence with the set of natural numbers, meaning that the elements of the set can be counted. An uncountable set is a set that cannot be put into a one-to-one correspondence with the set of natural numbers, meaning that the elements of the set cannot be counted.

Are there different levels of infinity?

Yes, there are different levels of infinity. For example, the set of all whole numbers (countably infinite) is considered to be a lower level of infinity compared to the set of all real numbers (uncountably infinite). This is because it is not possible to create a one-to-one correspondence between these two sets.

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