- #1
VrhoZna
- 14
- 3
Homework Statement
From Introduction to Set Theory Chapter 8.1 exercise 1.4
Prove that Zorn's Lemma is equivalent to the following statement:
For all ##(A,\leq)##, the set of all chains of ##(A,\leq)## has an ##\subseteq##-maximal element.[/B]
Homework Equations
N/A
The Attempt at a Solution
(##\Rightarrow##): Suppose Zorn's Lemma holds and let ##(A,\leq)## be a partially ordered set and let C be its set of chains. It's clear that each element of C is bounded above (##X \subseteq A## for each ##X \in C##) and thus has C has a ##\subseteq##-maximal element by Zorn's Lemma.
(##\Leftarrow##): Suppose, for all ##(A,\leq)##, the set of all chains of ##(A,\leq)## has an ##\subseteq##-maximal element. Let (##P, \leq##) be a partially ordered set, C the set of chains of P, X a maximal element of C, and suppose that every chain of P is bounded above; we show that P has a ##\leq##-maximal element. Since X is bounded above there exists a ##c \in P## such that ##x \leq c## for all ##x \in X##. Now let ##y \in \bigcup C = P## (as the singleton subsets of P are trivially chains of P) such that ##y \not\in X## (if no such y exists then X = P and c is the greatest element of P and hence a ##\leq##-maximal element). Then, if ##c \leq y##, we have ##x \leq y## for all ##x \in X## and thus ##X = X \cup \{y\}## as ##X \cup \{y\}## is a chain of P and X is a ##\subseteq##-maximal element of C, contradicting our choice of y. Hence ##y \leq c## for all ##y \in A## so c is the greatest element of A and thus a ##\leq##-maximal element.[/B]