Jump to content

The real numbers cannot be well ordered

discountbrains
in Analysis and Calculus

Featured Replies

My first of several proofs:

Consider any total linear ordering, <*, of the reals. To make it simpler consider <* for S={x: 0<x}. At this point we don't know if <* is a well ordering or not. I will show by math induction that a well ordering of S must produce a countable number of minimums for a particular collection of subsets of S. Then I'll show all numbers, z, must be in this collection or set of minimums. Thus, the conclusion must be that if R can be well ordered it must be a countable set and we know this is not true.

The above is a preliminary test before going further to make sure my topic does not get closed

  • Strange locked this topic

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.