Alphabeta Math
TheoremStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedSession-authored (Fable 5 assisted)precheck passverified 2026-08-02 (claude-opus-5)
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The well-ordering principle

Statement

Every nonempty subset SNS \subseteq \mathbb{N} has a least element: there is S\ell \in S with s\ell \le s for all sSs \in S.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: A nonempty subset SNS \subseteq \mathbb{N}. Define T={nN:every m with mn satisfies mS}T = \{\, n \in \mathbb{N} : \text{every } m \text{ with } m \le n \text{ satisfies } m \notin S \,\} (informally, no element of SS is n\le n).

[L1]

Induction principle: a subset of N\mathbb{N} that contains 00 and is closed under σ\sigma equals N\mathbb{N} (The principle of mathematical induction).

[L2]

m<n    σ(m)nm < n \iff \sigma(m) \le n; consequently no kk satisfies n<k<σ(n)n < k < \sigma(n) (Discreteness: σ(n)\sigma(n) is the immediate successor).

[L3]

Exactly one of s<ns < n, s=ns = n, n<sn < s holds (Trichotomy of the order on N\mathbb{N}); and n<s    σ(n)sn < s \iff \sigma(n) \le s (Discreteness: σ(n)\sigma(n) is the immediate successor).

[L4]

σ\sigma is injective (Peano axiom P2) (The von Neumann naturals form a Peano system).

[L5]

σ(a)+i=σ(a+i)\sigma(a) + i = \sigma(a + i) for all a,ia, i (the left successor law, Left successor law for addition).

[L6]

0+k=k0 + k = k for all kk (Left identity for addition).

Proof

technique · contradiction
1.1

Suppose SS is nonempty but has no least element.

assume-contra
1.2

If m<σ(n)m < \sigma(n) then mnm \le n: by [L2] applied to mm and σ(n)\sigma(n) we get σ(m)σ(n)\sigma(m) \le \sigma(n), say σ(m)+i=σ(n)\sigma(m) + i = \sigma(n); then σ(m+i)=σ(m)+i=σ(n)\sigma(m + i) = \sigma(m) + i = \sigma(n) [L5], so m+i=nm + i = n by injectivity [L4], hence mnm \le n.

L2L4L5
2.1

First, 0T0 \in T: if 0S0 \in S then 0s0 \le s for all sSs \in S, since 0+s=s0 + s = s [L6], making 00 a least element, contrary to the assumption; hence 0S0 \notin S; moreover m0m \le 0 forces m=0m = 0, because m0m \ne 0 would give 0<m0 < m (as 0+m=m0 + m = m [L6] with m0m \ne 0) while m0m \le 0 gives m<0m < 0, and [L3] admits at most one of these; so every m0m \le 0 lies outside SS.

step 1.1L3L6given
2.2

Next, TT is closed under σ\sigma: assume nTn \in T; if σ(n)S\sigma(n) \in S then no sSs \in S satisfies s<σ(n)s < \sigma(n) (else sns \le n by step 1.2, so sSs \notin S because nTn \in T, a contradiction), hence σ(n)s\sigma(n) \le s for all sSs \in S by [L3], making σ(n)\sigma(n) a least element, contrary to the assumption; therefore σ(n)S\sigma(n) \notin S, and any mm with mσ(n)m \le \sigma(n) satisfies m=σ(n)m = \sigma(n) or mσ(n)m \ne \sigma(n); in the second case mσ(n)m \le \sigma(n) together with mσ(n)m \ne \sigma(n) gives m<σ(n)m < \sigma(n) by the definition of the strict order, hence mnm \le n by step 1.2 and mSm \notin S because nTn \in T, while in the first case m=σ(n)Sm = \sigma(n) \notin S; so every mσ(n)m \le \sigma(n) lies outside SS, giving σ(n)T\sigma(n) \in T.

step 1.1step 1.2L3
3.1

By the induction principle [L1], from 0T0 \in T and closure under σ\sigma, T=NT = \mathbb{N}; then for every nn, taking m=nnm = n \le n shows nSn \notin S, so S=S = \varnothing, contradicting nonemptiness; therefore SS has a least element.

step 2.1step 2.2L1discharge-contradiction

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