Countable Sets: Exploring the Union of Countable Sets

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In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of a countable set and how to prove that a countable union of countable sets is also countable. This is done through the construction of families of sets and showing that their union is countable. The conversation also mentions the different uses of the term "countable" and provides hints on how to approach the problem.
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dlee
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What is a countable set exactly? HELP? Can someone help guide me through this problem? I'm a bit lost on how to show this...

Countable union of countable sets: Let I be a countable set. Let Ai , i ∈ I be a family of sets such that each Ai is countable. We will show that U i ∈ I Ai is countable.

(1) Show that there exists a family of sets C1, C2, C3,..., i.e, a family of sets Ci indexed by i ∈ N such that Ci is countable for every i ∈ N and U i ∈ I Ai = U i ∈ N Ci.
(Hint: Some of the Ci can be empty sets.)

(2) Show that there exists a family of sets Bi , i ∈ N such that U i ∈ N Ci = U i ∈ N Bi, each Bi is countable and Bi ⋂ Bj = ∅ for any i ≠ j , i.e., the Bi’s are pairwise disjoint.
(Hint: Think of the construction Bi = Ci \ (C1⋃ C2⋃ ... ⋃ Ci - 1).)

(3) Show that U i ∈ N Bi is countable for the family of sets Bi , i ∈ N from part (ii). You may assume that |N x N| = |N|.

(4) Hence conclude U i ∈ I Ai is countable.
 
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dlee said:
What is a countable set exactly?
Why don't you look up the definition in your textbook or lecture notes? As you can see from Wikipedia, "countable" is used in two senses.

dlee said:
Can someone help guide me through this problem? I'm a bit lost on how to show this...
In turn, can you show what you tried or describe your difficulty? The points (1) and (2) seem pretty straightforward since the given hints describe the necessary definitions.
 

FAQ: Countable Sets: Exploring the Union of Countable Sets

What is a countable set?

A countable set is a set that has a finite or infinite number of elements that can be put into a one-to-one correspondence with the set of natural numbers (1, 2, 3, ...).

What is the union of countable sets?

The union of countable sets is the set of all elements that are present in any of the given countable sets. In other words, it is the combination of all the elements from each countable set into one larger set.

How do you determine if a set is countable?

A set is countable if it can be listed or put into a one-to-one correspondence with the set of natural numbers. This means that each element in the set can be assigned a unique natural number.

Can the union of two countable sets be countable?

Yes, the union of two countable sets can be countable. If both sets are countable, then their elements can be listed and combined into one larger set that is still countable.

What is an example of an uncountable set?

An example of an uncountable set is the set of real numbers. This set is uncountable because it cannot be put into a one-to-one correspondence with the set of natural numbers. This means that there is no way to assign a unique natural number to each real number.

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