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sup{qQ:q>0, q2<2}=2\sup\{q \in \mathbb{Q} : q > 0,\ q^2 < 2\} = \sqrt{2} in R\mathbb{R}, and no supremum in Q\mathbb{Q}

Example

Let ι:QR\iota : \mathbb{Q} \to \mathbb{R} be the canonical embedding of the rationals as an ordered subfield of R\mathbb{R} (The unique embedding of ℚ into an ordered field) and put S={qQ : q>0 and q2<2}.S = \{\, q \in \mathbb{Q} \ : \ q > 0 \text{ and } q^2 < 2 \,\}. Viewed inside R\mathbb{R}, the set SS has a supremum, namely supS=2\sup S = \sqrt{2}, the unique nonnegative real whose square is 22 (Square roots exist: a unique a0\sqrt{a} \ge 0 with (a)2=a(\sqrt{a})^2 = a; the positives are {x2:x0}\{x^2 : x \neq 0\}). Viewed inside Q\mathbb{Q}, the same set has no supremum at all: it has upper bounds in Q\mathbb{Q}, but none of them is least.

This is the reason R\mathbb{R} exists. The rationals form an ordered field in which a perfectly ordinary bounded set fails to have a least upper bound, because the number that ought to be that bound is irrational (FALSE: some rational number squares to 2). The least-upper-bound property (Complete ordered field (least-upper-bound property)) is precisely the repair, and the value it supplies here is 2\sqrt{2}.

The order-theoretic defect exhibited below is the exact counterpart of the metric defect recorded in FALSE: the rationals are complete, where a Cauchy sequence of rationals fails to have a rational limit. The two are different statements about the same hole in Q\mathbb{Q}, and this library repairs it twice, once by Dedekind cuts and once by Cauchy sequences.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: The complete ordered field R\mathbb{R}, the canonical embedding ι:QR\iota : \mathbb{Q} \to \mathbb{R}, the abbreviation 2:=1+12 := 1 + 1 in each of the two fields, and the set S:={qQ:q>0 and q2<2}S := \{\, q \in \mathbb{Q} : q > 0 \text{ and } q^2 < 2 \,\}, regarded as a subset of Q\mathbb{Q} and, through ι\iota, as the subset ι(S)\iota(S) of R\mathbb{R}. "Upper bound of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}" means an element uQu \in \mathbb{Q} with quq \le u for every qSq \in S, and "supremum of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}" means such a uu that is \le every upper bound of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}.

[L1]

Square roots: every a0a \ge 0 in R\mathbb{R} has a unique s0s \ge 0 with s2=as^2 = a (Square roots exist: a unique a0\sqrt{a} \ge 0 with (a)2=a(\sqrt{a})^2 = a; the positives are {x2:x0}\{x^2 : x \neq 0\}).

[L2]

Squaring is strictly monotone on the nonnegatives: for a,b0a, b \ge 0 in R\mathbb{R} one has a<ba < b if and only if a2<b2a^2 < b^2 (Squaring is monotone on the nonnegatives).

[L3]

The embedding: ι\iota is the unique field homomorphism QR\mathbb{Q} \to \mathbb{R}; it is injective and order preserving, so ι(q+r)=ι(q)+ι(r)\iota(q + r) = \iota(q) + \iota(r), ι(qr)=ι(q)ι(r)\iota(qr) = \iota(q)\iota(r), ι(1)=1\iota(1) = 1 and q<rq < r implies ι(q)<ι(r)\iota(q) < \iota(r). It also reflects the order: if ι(q)<ι(r)\iota(q) < \iota(r) then q<rq < r, since rqr \le q would give ι(r)ι(q)\iota(r) \le \iota(q) by order preservation and injectivity, contradicting trichotomy (The unique embedding of ℚ into an ordered field, Ordered field).

[L4]

Density: R\mathbb{R} is Archimedean, being a complete ordered field, and its rationals are dense in it, so for x<yx < y in R\mathbb{R} there is qQq \in \mathbb{Q} with x<ι(q)<yx < \iota(q) < y (Every complete ordered field is Archimedean, Archimedean ordered field, ℚ is dense in every Archimedean ordered field).

[L5]

The claim that there exists xQx \in \mathbb{Q} with x2=2x^2 = 2 is false (FALSE: some rational number squares to 2).

[L6]

Epsilon characterisation of the supremum: for a nonempty XRX \subseteq \mathbb{R} bounded above and an upper bound ww of XX, one has w=supXw = \sup X if and only if for every ε>0\varepsilon > 0 there is xXx \in X with wε<xw - \varepsilon < x (Epsilon characterisation of the supremum).

[L7]

Every set {a,b}\{a, b\} of two reals has a maximum, which is one of the two entries and dominates both (Every nonempty finite set of reals has a maximum and a minimum, Maximum and minimum of a set).

[L8]

Order and least upper bounds: 0<10 < 1, hence 2=1+1>1>02 = 1 + 1 > 1 > 0 in both fields; trichotomy holds, so the negation of aba \le b is b<ab < a; the order is transitive; adding a constant preserves it; multiplication distributes over addition, so 22=2+22 \cdot 2 = 2 + 2; 0a=00 \cdot a = 0 for every aa, so 02=00^2 = 0 (Multiplication by zero: 0a=00 \cdot a = 0); and a least upper bound is an upper bound that is \le every upper bound (The multiplicative identity is positive, Order is preserved by adding a constant and by adding inequalities, Complete ordered field (least-upper-bound property), Ordered field, Field).

Verification

technique · direct
1.1

In R\mathbb{R} we have 2=1+1>02 = 1 + 1 > 0, so [L1] supplies a unique r0r \ge 0 with r2=2r^2 = 2; and r0r \ne 0 because r=0r = 0 would give r2=02r^2 = 0 \ne 2, so r>0r > 0. Write r=:2r =: \sqrt{2}.

L1L8choose
1.2

SS is nonempty: the rational 11 satisfies 1>01 > 0 and 12=1<21^2 = 1 < 2, so 1S1 \in S.

L8
1.3

Let uQu \in \mathbb{Q} be an arbitrary upper bound of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}, that is, quq \le u for every qSq \in S.

assume-hyp
1.4

Let ε>0\varepsilon > 0 in R\mathbb{R} be arbitrary.

assume-hyp
1.5

The rational 22 is an upper bound of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}, so SS is bounded above there: for qSq \in S order preservation gives ι(q)>0\iota(q) > 0 and ι(q)2=ι(q2)<ι(2)=2<2+2=22=ι(2)2\iota(q)^2 = \iota(q^2) < \iota(2) = 2 < 2 + 2 = 2 \cdot 2 = \iota(2)^2, whence ι(q)<ι(2)\iota(q) < \iota(2) by [L2] and q<2q < 2 by order reflection.

L2L3L8
2.1

rr is an upper bound of ι(S)\iota(S) in R\mathbb{R}: for qSq \in S order preservation gives ι(q)>0\iota(q) > 0 and ι(q)2=ι(q2)<ι(2)=2=r2\iota(q)^2 = \iota(q^2) < \iota(2) = 2 = r^2, so ι(q)<r\iota(q) < r by [L2], hence ι(q)r\iota(q) \le r.

step 1.1L2L3L8
2.2

rr is not the image of any rational: if r=ι(q)r = \iota(q) then ι(q2)=ι(q)2=r2=2=ι(2)\iota(q^2) = \iota(q)^2 = r^2 = 2 = \iota(2), so q2=2q^2 = 2 by injectivity of ι\iota, which [L5] forbids.

step 1.1L3L5
2.3

Put aε:=max{0, rε}a_\varepsilon := \max\{0,\ r - \varepsilon\}, which exists by [L7]; then 0aε0 \le a_\varepsilon, and aε<ra_\varepsilon < r because aεa_\varepsilon is one of the two entries 00 and rεr - \varepsilon, of which the first is <r< r by 1.1 and the second is <r< r because ε>0\varepsilon > 0.

step 1.1step 1.4L7L8choose
2.4

The image ι(u)\iota(u) of the bound uu is an upper bound of ι(S)\iota(S) in R\mathbb{R}: for qSq \in S the inequality quq \le u in Q\mathbb{Q} gives ι(q)ι(u)\iota(q) \le \iota(u) by order preservation.

step 1.3L3
3.1

Density applied to aε<ra_\varepsilon < r produces a rational qεq_\varepsilon with aε<ι(qε)<ra_\varepsilon < \iota(q_\varepsilon) < r; then ι(qε)>aε0\iota(q_\varepsilon) > a_\varepsilon \ge 0 forces qε>0q_\varepsilon > 0 by order reflection, and 0ι(qε)<r0 \le \iota(q_\varepsilon) < r gives ι(qε2)=ι(qε)2<r2=2=ι(2)\iota(q_\varepsilon^2) = \iota(q_\varepsilon)^2 < r^2 = 2 = \iota(2) by [L2], hence qε2<2q_\varepsilon^2 < 2 in Q\mathbb{Q}; so qεSq_\varepsilon \in S and rεaε<ι(qε)r - \varepsilon \le a_\varepsilon < \iota(q_\varepsilon).

step 2.3step 1.1L4L2L3
4.1

The set ι(S)\iota(S) is nonempty and bounded above in R\mathbb{R} by rr, and for every ε>0\varepsilon > 0 its element ι(qε)\iota(q_\varepsilon) satisfies rε<ι(qε)r - \varepsilon < \iota(q_\varepsilon); the epsilon characterisation therefore gives supι(S)=r=2\sup \iota(S) = r = \sqrt{2}.

step 1.2step 2.1step 3.1L6
5.1

Since rr is the least upper bound of ι(S)\iota(S) and ι(u)\iota(u) is an upper bound of it, we get rι(u)r \le \iota(u); and rι(u)r \ne \iota(u) by 2.2, so r<ι(u)r < \iota(u).

step 4.1step 2.4step 2.2L8
6.1

Density applied to r<ι(u)r < \iota(u) produces a rational vv with r<ι(v)<ι(u)r < \iota(v) < \iota(u); every qSq \in S satisfies ι(q)r<ι(v)\iota(q) \le r < \iota(v), so q<vq < v by order reflection and vv is an upper bound of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}; and v<uv < u, again by order reflection. Hence uu is not \le every upper bound of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}, so uu is not a supremum of SS in Q\mathbb{Q}.

step 5.1step 2.1L4L3L8
7.1

The upper bound uu was an arbitrary one, so no upper bound of SS in Q\mathbb{Q} is least: SS has a supremum in R\mathbb{R}, equal to 2\sqrt{2}, and has no supremum in Q\mathbb{Q} even though it is nonempty and bounded above there, for instance by 22.

step 6.1step 4.1step 1.5L8

Remarks

  • The set SS is bounded above in Q\mathbb{Q}, by 22, as step 1.5 checks. Both hypotheses of the least-upper-bound property are therefore satisfied inside Q\mathbb{Q}, and the conclusion still fails. The property is a genuine assumption about the field, not a consequence of the order axioms alone.
  • The proof of leastness uses density twice, once to find an element of SS close below 2\sqrt{2} and once to squeeze a rational between 2\sqrt{2} and a putative rational least upper bound. Both uses go through ℚ is dense in every Archimedean ordered field, which is itself a consequence of the Archimedean property (Every complete ordered field is Archimedean).
  • The same argument runs with 22 replaced by any positive rational cc that is not the square of a rational, once its two numerical steps are readjusted: step 1.2 must exhibit a positive rational whose square lies below cc, and step 1.5 a positive rational whose square lies above it, neither of which is the constant 11 or 22 in general. Both exist for every positive rational cc, and uniformly, so nothing here depends on cc being convenient: take p:=c/(1+c)p := c/(1+c) and w:=1+cw := 1 + c, both positive rationals. Then p2<cp^2 < c, since p2<cp^2 < c is equivalent to c2<c(1+c)2c^2 < c(1+c)^2 and hence, dividing by c>0c > 0, to c<(1+c)2=1+2c+c2c < (1+c)^2 = 1 + 2c + c^2, which holds because 1+c+c2>01 + c + c^2 > 0; and w2=1+2c+c2>cw^2 = 1 + 2c + c^2 > c for the same reason. Everything after those two steps is unchanged, so the failure is pervasive rather than a curiosity attached to 2\sqrt{2}.

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