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TheoremStatement: AI-adaptedProof: AI-adaptedprecheck passjudge pass (z-ai/glm-5.2)verified 2026-07-26 (claude-opus-5)
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N×N≈N

Statement

N×N≈N (Equinumerous sets, A≈B and A⪯B): the plane of pairs of naturals is countably infinite (Finite, countably infinite, countable, uncountable).

The bijection is exhibited, not merely asserted to exist. Define 2m by recursion on m (The recursion theorem) by 20=1 and 2σ(m)=2m+2m, and set

J(m,n)=2m⋅σ(n+n),that isJ(m,n)=2m(2n+1).

Then J is a bijection from N×N onto N∖{0}, and σ is a bijection from N onto N∖{0}, so σ−1∘J is a bijection N×N→N. What makes J bijective is the decomposition of a nonzero natural into a power of two times an odd number, existence and uniqueness both.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: Addition and multiplication on N with m+0=m, m+σ(k)=σ(m+k), m⋅0=0 and m⋅σ(k)=m⋅k+m (Addition of natural numbers, Multiplication of natural numbers); 1:=σ(0). Call k∈N even if k=j+j for some j and odd if k=σ(j+j) for some j.

[L1]

Recursion: for a set X, x0∈X and F:X→X there is h:N→X with h(0)=x0 and h(σ(m))=F(h(m)) (The recursion theorem).

[L2]

Peano: σ(k)≠0 and σ is injective (The von Neumann naturals form a Peano system); every nonzero natural is a successor (Every nonzero natural number is a successor).

[L3]

Arithmetic laws: + and ⋅ are commutative and associative, 1⋅n=n=n⋅1, 0+n=n, a(b+c)=ab+ac and σ(a)+n=σ(a+n) (Addition is commutative, Addition is associative, Left identity for addition, Multiplication is commutative, Multiplication is associative, Zero and one under multiplication, Distributivity and the successor law for multiplication, Left successor law for addition).

[L4]

Order laws: exactly one of a<b, a=b, b<a holds (Trichotomy of the order on N); ≤ is reflexive, antisymmetric, transitive and total (≤ is a linear order on N), so < is transitive and mixes with ≤, in the sense that each of a<b<c, a≤b<c and a<b≤c gives a<c: transitivity of ≤ gives a≤c in every case, while a=c would force b=c or a=b by antisymmetry, contradicting whichever of the two hypotheses is strict; and < is irreflexive, because a<a would demand a≠a (Order on the natural numbers); a≤b  ⟺  a+k≤b+k and a<b  ⟺  a+k<b+k (Order is compatible with addition); a<b  ⟺  σ(a)≤b, so a<σ(a) (Discreteness: σ(n) is the immediate successor); and a≤b means a+c=b for some c (Order on the natural numbers), where moreover a<b holds exactly when that c is nonzero, since c=0 gives b=a, while c≠0 with a=b would give c+a=a+c=a=0+a and hence c=0 by additive cancellation (Addition is cancellative, Addition is commutative, Left identity for addition).

[L5]

Cancellation: a⋅k=b⋅k with k≠0 gives a=b (Cancellation for multiplication by a nonzero factor); and a⋅b=0 forces a=0 or b=0 (The natural numbers have no zero divisors).

[L7]

Bijections, injections, surjections, composition and inverses (Injection, surjection, bijection); A≈B means a bijection A→B exists (Equinumerous sets, A≈B and A⪯B).

Proof

technique · direct
1.1

Apply [L1] with X=N, x0=1 and F(x)=x+x: this defines m↦2m with 20=1 and 2σ(m)=2m+2m for all m.

L1construct
1.2

Every natural is even or odd: by induction, 0=0+0 is even; and if k=j+j is even then σ(k)=σ(j+j) is odd, while if k=σ(j+j) is odd then σ(k)=σ(σ(j+j))=σ(σ(j)+j)=σ(j)+σ(j) is even, using σ(j)+j=σ(j+j) and x+σ(y)=σ(x+y).

L3L6given
1.3

No natural is both even and odd, that is j+j≠σ(i+i) for all i,j: if j≤i then j+j≤i+j=j+i≤i+i<σ(i+i); if i<j then σ(i)≤j, so σ(i+i)<σ(σ(i+i))=σ(σ(i)+i)=σ(i)+σ(i)≤j+j; in both cases the two sides differ by irreflexivity of <.

L3L4given
1.4

σ is a bijection from N onto N∖{0}: it is injective by [L2], its values are nonzero by [L2], and every nonzero natural is a value of σ by [L2].

L2L7
2.1

2m≠0 for every m: by induction, 20=σ(0)≠0; and if 2m≠0 then 2m=σ(a) for some a by [L2], so 2σ(m)=2m+2m=2m+σ(a)=σ(2m+a)≠0.

step 1.1L2L6given
2.2

2m+d=2m⋅2d for all m,d: by induction on d, at d=0 both sides are 2m since m+0=m and 2m⋅1=2m; and if 2m+d=2m⋅2d then 2m+σ(d)=2σ(m+d)=2m+d+2m+d=2m2d+2m2d=2m(2d+2d)=2m⋅2σ(d).

step 1.1L3L6given
3.1

Define J:N×N→N by J(m,n)=2m⋅σ(n+n). Its values are nonzero: 2m≠0 by step 2.1 and σ(n+n)≠0 by [L2], so J(m,n)≠0 by [L5]. Thus J maps into N∖{0}.

step 1.1step 2.1L2L5construct
4.1

J is injective. Suppose 2mσ(n+n)=2m′σ(n′+n′); by [L4] we may assume m≤m′, the other case being symmetric, and write m′=m+d. By step 2.2 the right side is 2m(2dσ(n′+n′)), so cancelling the nonzero factor 2m with [L5] and [L3] gives σ(n+n)=2d⋅σ(n′+n′). If d≠0 then d=σ(e) by [L2] and 2d=2e+2e, so the right side equals w+w with w=2eσ(n′+n′), by [L3]; that would make σ(n+n) both odd and even, contradicting step 1.3. Hence d=0 and m′=m, and then σ(n+n)=σ(n′+n′) gives n+n=n′+n′ by injectivity of σ, whence n=n′ because n<n′ would force n+n<n′+n=n+n′<n′+n′ by [L4] and [L3], and symmetrically for n′<n.

step 1.1step 1.3step 2.1step 2.2step 3.1L2L3L4L5
4.2

J is surjective onto N∖{0}: by strong induction [L6] we show every k is 0 or a value of J. Let k≠0 and assume the claim for all j<k. By step 1.2, k is odd or even. If k=σ(j+j) then k=1⋅σ(j+j)=20σ(j+j)=J(0,j) by [L3]. If k=j+j then j≠0, since j=0 would give k=0; also j<j+j=k by [L4], because j+j=k with j≠0; so the hypothesis at j and j≠0 give j=2mσ(n+n) for some m,n, and then k=j+j=2mσ(n+n)+2mσ(n+n)=(2m+2m)σ(n+n)=2σ(m)σ(n+n)=J(σ(m),n) by [L3] and step 1.1.

step 1.1step 1.2step 3.1L3L4L6
5.1

Therefore J is a bijection from N×N onto N∖{0}, and composing with the inverse of the bijection σ of step 1.4 yields the bijection σ−1∘J:N×N→N; hence N×N≈N and N×N is countably infinite.

step 1.4step 4.1step 4.2L7∎

Remarks

  • Written out, σ−1(J(m,n))=2m(2n+1)−1, the standard bijection. The detour through N∖{0} avoids subtraction, which the naturals do not have as a total operation.

  • The proof is a proof of unique factorisation into a power of two times an odd number: step 4.2 is existence and step 4.1 is uniqueness. Nothing weaker would do, and no appeal to a picture of the diagonal enumeration is made anywhere. Nothing here uses any choice principle.

  • The Cantor pairing polynomial (m,n)↦(m+n)(m+n+1)2+n is an alternative bijection. It is not used because halving is not available in N without first developing division with remainder, whereas doubling, which is all 2m needs, is immediate from addition.

Depends on

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