Alphabeta Math
TheoremStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedverified 2026-09-26 (gpt-6-sol)
How statement and proof provenance work

The first chip identifies the source of the statement or construction; the second identifies the source of its local proof or verification.

  • Literature-sourced: the exact statement appears in a cited source; only wording and notation differ.
  • AI-adapted: a semantically identical restatement of literature-sourced material, modulo indexing, notation, and boundary cases adopted by the library.
  • AI-generated: a genuinely novel statement formulated by AI, with no source for the claim itself.

These labels describe origin, not correctness: citations and verification chips remain separate evidence.

The continuum is equinumerous with the power set of the naturals

Statement

In ZF, without any choice principle, there are bijections R≈ω2≈P(N), where N=ω and 2={0,1}. Assuming the Axiom of Choice, these bijections give the cardinal equality ∣R∣=2ℵ0=∣P(N)∣.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: The reals and naturals under the library's ZF conventions. Choice is assumed only for the cardinal-equality clause.

[L2]

The reals are a complete ordered field (The reals form a totally ordered field, The Cauchy-sequence reals have the least-upper-bound property), hence Archimedean (Every complete ordered field is Archimedean). Therefore a rational lies strictly between any two distinct reals (ℚ is dense in every Archimedean ordered field), and Q≈N without Choice (Q is countably infinite).

Proof

technique · two-injections
1.1

The inclusion C↪R composed with [L1] gives an injection ω2↪R. This construction uses no choice.

L1
1.2

For each real x, put Dx={q∈Q:q<x}. If x<y, choose a rational q with x<q<y by [L2]. Then q∈Dy∖Dx, so x↦Dx injects R into P(Q). A fixed bijection Q≈N and [L3] give an injection R↪P(N). No family of choices is made: only the existence of one separating rational is used to prove injectivity.

L2L3
2.1

Sending S⊆N to its characteristic function 1S:ω→2 is a bijection P(N)≈ω2, with inverse b↦b−1({1}). Combine it with steps 1.1 and 1.2. There are injections in both directions between R and ω2, so Schröder–Bernstein [L3] gives R≈ω2≈P(N) in ZF.

L3step 1.1step 1.2
3.1

Now assume Choice. By [L4], the equinumerous sets in step 2.1 have equal cardinalities, while ∣N∣=ℵ0 and ∣P(N)∣=2∣N∣. Hence ∣R∣=2ℵ0=∣P(N)∣.

L4step 2.1∎

Source notes

The proof is adapted from the published Foundations B example on continuum cardinality, using its Cantor-set and rational-cut injections. Its listed external references were not independently read for this draft; the mathematical argument above is checked against the exact published supplier statements.

Depends on

Used by

Dependency tree · two levels

89 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.