
# 3.2: Countable and Uncountable Sets


## Definition

A function $$\varphi: A \rightarrow B$$ is said to be a one-to-one correspondence if $$\varphi$$ is both one-to-one and onto.

## Definition

We say sets $$A$$ and $$B$$ have the same cardinality if there exists a one-to-one correspondence $$\varphi: A \rightarrow B$$.

We denote the fact $$A$$ and $$B$$ have the same cardinality by writing $$|A|=|B| .$$

## Exercise $$\PageIndex{1}$$

Define a relation on sets by setting $$A \sim B$$ if and only if $$|A|=|B| .$$ Show that this relation is an equivalence relation.

## Definition

Let $$A$$ be a set. If, for $$n \in \mathbb{Z}^{+}, A$$ has the cardinality of the set $$\{1,2,3, \ldots, n\},$$ we say $$A$$ is finite and write $$|A|=n .$$ If $$A$$ has the cardinality of $$\mathbb{Z}^{+},$$ we say $$A$$ is countable and write $$|A|=\aleph_{0} .$$

## Example $$\PageIndex{1}$$

If we define $$\varphi: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow \mathbb{Z}$$ by

$\varphi(n)=\left\{\begin{array}{ll}{\frac{n-1}{2},} & {\text { if } n \text { is odd, }} \\ {-\frac{n}{2},} & {\text { if } n \text { is even, }}\end{array}\right.$

then $$\varphi$$ is a one-to-one correspondence. Thus $$|\mathbb{Z}|=\aleph_{0}$$.

## Exercise $$\PageIndex{2}$$

Let $$A$$ be the set of even integers. Show that $$|A|=\aleph_{0}$$.

## Exercise $$\PageIndex{3}$$

Verify each of the following:

a. If $$A$$ is a nonempty subset of $$\mathbb{Z}^{+},$$ then $$A$$ is either finite or countable.

b. If $$A$$ is a nonempty subset of a countable set $$B,$$ then $$A$$ is either finite or countable.

## Proposition $$\PageIndex{1}$$

Suppose $$A$$ and $$B$$ are countable sets. Then the set $$C=$$ $$A \cup B$$ is countable.

Proof

Suppose $$A$$ and $$B$$ are disjoint, that is, $$A \cap B=\emptyset .$$ Let $$\varphi: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow A$$ and $$\psi: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow B$$ be one-to-one correspondences. Define $$\tau: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow C$$ by

$\tau(n)=\left\{\begin{array}{ll}{\varphi\left(\frac{n+1}{2}\right),} & {\text { if } n \text { is odd, }} \\ {\psi\left(\frac{n}{2}\right),} & {\text { if } n \text { is even. }}\end{array}\right.$

Then $$\tau$$ is a one-to-one correspondence, showing that $$C$$ is countable.

If $$A$$ and $$B$$ are not disjoint, then $$\tau$$ is onto but not one-to-one. However, in that case $$C$$ has the cardinality of an infinite subset of $$\mathbb{Z}^{+},$$ and so is countable. $$\quad$$ Q.E.D.

## Definition

A nonempty set which is not finite is said to be infinite. An infinite set which is not countable is said to be uncountable.

## Exercise $$\PageIndex{4}$$

Suppose $$A$$ is uncountable and $$B \subset A$$ is countable. Show that $$A \backslash B$$ is uncountable.

## Proposition $$\PageIndex{2}$$

Suppose $$A$$ and $$B$$ are countable. Then $$C=A \times B$$ is countable.

Proof

Let $$\varphi: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow A$$ and $$\psi: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow B$$ be one-to-one correspondences. Let $$a_{i}=\varphi(i)$$ and $$b_{i}=\psi(i) .$$ Define $$\tau: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow C$$ by letting

$\tau(1)=\left(a_{1}, b_{1}\right),$

$\tau(2)=\left(a_{1}, b_{2}\right),$

$\tau(3)=\left(a_{2}, b_{1}\right),$

$\tau(4)=\left(a_{1}, b_{3}\right),$

$\tau(5)=\left(a_{2}, b_{2}\right),$

$\tau(6)=\left(a_{3}, b_{1}\right),$

$\tau(7)=\left(a_{1}, b_{4}\right),$

$\vdots = \vdots$

That is, form the infinite matrix with $$\left(a_{i}, b_{j}\right)$$ in the $$i$$th row and $$j$$th column, and then count the entries by reading down the diagonals from right to left. Then $$\tau$$ is a one-to-one correspondence and $$C$$ is countable.

## Proposition $$\PageIndex{3}$$

$$\mathbb{Q}$$ is countable.

Proof

By the previous proposition, $$\mathbb{Z} \times \mathbb{Z}$$ is countable. Let

$A=\{(p, q): p, q \in \mathbb{Z}, q>0, p \text { and } q \text { relatively prime }.\}$

Then $$A$$ is infinite and $$A \subset \mathbb{Z} \times \mathbb{Z},$$ so $$A$$ is countable. But clearly $$|\mathbb{Q}|=|A|,$$ so $$\mathbb{Q}$$ is countable. $$\quad$$ Q.E.D.

## Proposition $$\PageIndex{4}$$

Suppose for each $$i \in \mathbb{Z}^{+}, A_{i}$$ is countable. Then

$B=\bigcup_{i=1}^{\infty} A_{i}$

is countable.

Proof

Suppose the sets $$A_{i}, i \in \mathbb{Z}^{+},$$ are pairwise disjoint, that is, $$A_{i} \cap A_{j}=\emptyset$$ for all $$i, j \in \mathbb{Z}^{+} .$$ For each $$i \in \mathbb{Z}^{+},$$ let $$\varphi_{i}: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow A_{i}$$ be a one-to-one correspondence. Then $$\psi: \mathbb{Z}^{+} \times \mathbb{Z}^{+} \rightarrow B$$ defined by

$\psi(i, j)=\varphi_{i}(j)$

is a one-to-one correspondence, and so $$|B|=\left|\mathbb{Z}^{+} \times \mathbb{Z}^{+}\right|=\aleph_{0}$$.

If the sets $$A_{i}, i \in \mathbb{Z}^{+},$$ are not disjoint, then $$\psi$$ is onto but not one-to-one. But then there exists a subset $$P$$ of $$\mathbb{Z}^{+} \times \mathbb{Z}^{+}$$ such that $$\psi: P \rightarrow B$$ is a one-to-one correspondence. Since $$P$$ is an infinite subset of a countable set, $$P$$ is countable and so $$|B|=\aleph_{0} .$$ $$\quad$$ Q.E.D.

If in the previous proposition we allow that, for each $$i \in \mathbb{Z}^{+}, A_{i}$$ is either finite or countable, then $$B=\bigcup_{i=1}^{\infty} A_{i}$$ will be either finite or countable.