We introduce almost selfreferential formulas, use them to extend set theory, and relate their expressive power to that of infinitary logic. Set theory is an extremely convenient language for being able to rigorously define and manipulate various completed infinities not only just infinite sets such as the natural numbers or real numbers, but much larger completed infinities, such as stonecech compactifications, the hyperreals, or ultrafilters, that typically need some fairly. Each section is only about 2 pages, but manages to cover a good amount of intuition. Set theory for computer science university of cambridge. A final chapter presents an alternative conception of set theory useful in computer science. This alone assures the subject of a place prominent in human culture.
Set theory 1 set theory one of the main objectives of a statistician is to draw conclusions about a population of objects by conducting an experiment. Naive set theory by halmos is confusing to a layman like. Set theory is indivisible from logic where computer science has its roots. Thestudents task inlearning set theory isto steep himself inunfamiliarbutessentially shallow generalities tillthey become so familiar that they can be used with almost no conscious effort. In naive set theory, a set is described as a welldefined collection of objects. Instead of naive set theory a more honest title for the book would have been an outline. Set theory chiara ghidini fbkirst, trento, italy 20142015 chiara ghidini mathematical logic outline set theory relations functions 1 set theory basic concepts operations on sets operation properties 2 relations properties equivalence relation 3 functions properties chiara ghidini mathematical logic outline. Naive set theory, as found in frege and russell, is almost universally believed to have been shown to be false by the settheoretic paradoxes. The paradoxes had the singular merit of proving this native conception of sets to. Since this attitude persisted until almost the end of the 19th century, cantors work was the.
Set theory if we are interested in elements of a set a that are not contained in a set b, we can write this set as a. Ellermeyer august 18, 2000 set theory membership a setis a welldefined collection of objects. In other words, general set theory is prettytrivial stuff really, but, ifyou want tobeamathematician, youneedsome, andhereitis. The idea that the cumulative hierarchy might exhaust the universe of sets became the established view gradually and quietly almost by stealth. The axiom of pair, the axiom of union, and the axiom of.
Naive set theory is any of several theories of sets used in the discussion of the foundations of. The official definition of setabstraction employs the descriptionoperator. The usual set theory of zermelo and fraenkel is not entirely neglected. There are some ubiquitous sets for which the notation is almost universal. This book is dedicated to prabir roy, louis mcauley. If the object x is a member of the set a, then we write x a which is read as x is a member of aorx belongstoaorx is in aorx is an. For example, the set containing only the empty set is a nonempty pure set. Pdf on jan 1, 2014, gregor schneider and others published the interpretation of classes in axiomatic set theory find, read and cite all the. This book is a very specialized but broadly useful introduction to set theory.
Set theory is vital to know in modern mathematics, but you almost certainly dont need the level of depth this pretty terse in terms of proofs, leaving a lot of steps up to the reader, which i like. In nf we have the existence of a universal set the set of all sets and a set noof all ordinals an ordinal is an isomorphism class of wellorderings. In this project we will learn elementary set theory from the original historical sources by two key. Set theory sets a set is a collection of objects, called its elements. He dissected our intuitive common sense into a set of elementary. The student who gets interested in set theory for its own sake should know, however, that there is much more to the subject than there is in this book. This unit also covers subsets, the universal set, setbuilder notation, complement, intersection and union. Introduction to logic and set theory202014 general course notes december 2, 20 these notes were prepared as an aid to the student. The purpose of the book is to tell the beginning student of advanced mathematics the basic set theoretic facts of life, and to do so with the minimum of philosophical discourse and logical formalism. Hardegree, set theory an overview 1 of 34 set theory. Georg cantor in the previous chapters, we have often encountered sets, for example, prime numbers form a set, domains in predicate logic form sets as well. Sets are used to define the concepts of relations and functions.
A set is pure if all of its members are sets, all members of its members are sets, and so on. Such objects need not be palpable, that is, they may be abstractions. The theory is less valuable in direct application to ordinary experience than as a basis for precise and adaptable terminology for the definition of complex and sophisticated mathematical concepts. However, the descriptionoperator is almost never emp loyed in set theory. Naive set theory is a mathematics textbook by paul halmos providing an undergraduate introduction to set theory. But even more, set theory is the milieu in which mathematics takes place today. Cantor, the founder of set theory,2was aware, at least from 1883, that. The biggest extension nfum is almost of the strength of zfc. Two sets are equal if and only if they have the same elements. Originally published by van nostrand in 1960, it was reprinted in the springerverlag undergraduate texts in mathematics series in 1974 while the title states that it is naive, which is usually taken to mean without axioms, the book does introduce all the axioms of zfc set theory. We write x2ato mean that xis an element of a set a, we also say that xbelongs to aor that xis in a. I offer no definition of what a set is beyond the intuitive notion described above. In mathematics, the notion of a set is a primitive notion.
I think halmos naive set theory is primarily concerned with set theory as a foundation on top of which mathematics is built, but the word naive, if i understand correctly, just means hes viewing the concept of a set concretely as a collection of things rather than axiomatically as being whatever satisfies the axioms. Philosophy of set theory university of california, irvine. After working your way through this book youll be prepared to read more advanced and equality good texts. Introduction to logic and set theory 202014 general course notes december 2, 20 these notes were prepared as an aid to the student. Download pdf elements of set theory free usakochan pdf.
A solid foundation on sets is provided for students of all ages. Foundations of mathematics and the incompleteness theorems 3 1. There is a study of somewhat more advanced topics in. An introduction to elementary set theory guram bezhanishvili and eachan landreth 1 introduction in this project we will learn elementary set theory from the original historical sources by two key gures in the development of set theory, georg cantor 18451918 and richard dedekind 18311916. First order logic and the axioms of set theory 2 1. A 2tuple is called an oriented pair, a 3tuple is a triple, a 4tuple is a quadrupletuples of a. It is aimed at the beginning student of advanced mathematics who wants to understand the settheoretic underpinnings of the mathematics he already knows or will learn soon. Every mathematician agrees that every mathematician must know some set theory. This instructional unit on sets provide a stepbystep introduction to sets and set theory. Basic definitions and notation, types of sets, equality, and venn diagrams are presented. Tuples, families a tuple or ntuple, for any integer n is an interpretation of a list of nvariables.
A followup paper on higher order theory is now available. It then delves into contemporary set theory, covering such topics as the borel hierarchy and lebesgue measure. The study of geometry, sequences, probability, etc. A study of the fundamentals of soft set theory onyeozili, i. Rather, it usually gets hidden under an associated principle of setabstract conversion. We discuss the problems of incompleteness and inexpressibility. For shorter onesemester or onequarter courses, a variety of arrangements of topics are possible.
Both its foundational role and its particular mathematical features the centrality of. An introduction to elementary set theory mathematical association. The standard response has been to rank sets into one or other hierarchy. It has been and is likely to continue to be a a source of fundamental ideas in computer science from theory to practice. It is thus a metafunction from a nite metaset, to the universe. Set theory, branch of mathematics that deals with the properties of. Dedekind returned to his native braunschweig to teach at the institute. Naive set theory is written in informal, conversational english, although the material is presented in a systematic and rigorous way. These objects are called the elements or members of the set. For its quality of exposition and coverage, this is the best place to start learning about set theory. Few of us, however, could accurately quote what are often referred to as the axioms of set theory. Pdf the interpretation of classes in axiomatic set theory. These notes were prepared using notes from the course taught by uri avraham, assaf hasson, and of course, matti rubin. An introduction to independence proofs by kenneth kunen, naive set theory by paul r.
Set theory, branch of mathematics that deals with the properties of welldefined collections of objects, which may or may not be of a mathematical nature, such as numbers or functions. What appeals to me most about descriptive set theory is that to study it you must reallyunderstandso many things. Computer science, being a science of the arti cial, has had many of its constructs and ideas inspired by set theory. Contei\t lecture 1 language, axioms, and elementary constructions of set theory lecture 2 elementary consequences of axioms lecture 3 cartesian products, relations lecture 4 order relations lecture 5 functions lecture 6 natural numbers lecture 7 equipollence and cardinal numbers lecture 8 hierarchy of cardinal numbers lecture 9 arithmetic of cardinal numbers. The mathematical theory of sets is both a foundation in some sense for classical mathematics and a branch of mathematics in its own right. Nb note bene it is almost never necessary in a mathematical proof to remember that a function is literally a set of ordered pairs. Any object which is in a set is called a member of the set. Set theory \a set is a many that allows itself to be thought of as a one.
For every collection of sets there exists a set that contains all the elements that belong to at least one set. B for example, if s is the set of all juices in the supermarket, and t. One of the most beautiful sources of settheoretic wisdom is still hausdorffs set theory. Suppose you know a great deal about objects a, b, and c, but know almost nothing about objects d, e, and f. If aand bare sets, we say that bis a subset of aif every element of b is an element of a. Set theory, and set operations statistical science. Instead, i am going to show you what can be done with sets. For instance, 4 is a member of the set of all even integers. Set theory a mathematical model that we will use often is that of. Clearly, the set of even numbers is infinitely large. There is enough material in the text for a yearlong course at the upperundergraduate level.
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