Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Hermarchus, Michal Walicki and J. Alberto Coffa

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5 ideas

6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / e. Ordinal numbers
Ordinals are the empty set, union with the singleton, and any arbitrary union of ordinals [Walicki]
     Full Idea: The collection of ordinals is defined inductively: Basis: the empty set is an ordinal; Ind: for an ordinal x, the union with its singleton is also an ordinal; and any arbitrary (possibly infinite) union of ordinals is an ordinal.
     From: Michal Walicki (Introduction to Mathematical Logic [2012], 2.3)
     A reaction: [symbolism translated into English] Walicki says they are called 'ordinal numbers', but are in fact a set.
The union of finite ordinals is the first 'limit ordinal'; 2ω is the second... [Walicki]
     Full Idea: We can form infinite ordinals by taking unions of ordinals. We can thus form 'limit ordinals', which have no immediate predecessor. ω is the first (the union of all finite ordinals), ω + ω = sω is second, 3ω the third....
     From: Michal Walicki (Introduction to Mathematical Logic [2012], 2.3)
Members of ordinals are ordinals, and also subsets of ordinals [Walicki]
     Full Idea: Every member of an ordinal is itself an ordinal, and every ordinal is a transitive set (its members are also its subsets; a member of a member of an ordinal is also a member of the ordinal).
     From: Michal Walicki (Introduction to Mathematical Logic [2012], 2.3)
Ordinals are transitive sets of transitive sets; or transitive sets totally ordered by inclusion [Walicki]
     Full Idea: An ordinal can be defined as a transitive set of transitive sets, or else, as a transitive set totally ordered by set inclusion.
     From: Michal Walicki (Introduction to Mathematical Logic [2012], 2.3)
Two infinite ordinals can represent a single infinite cardinal [Walicki]
     Full Idea: There may be several ordinals for the same cardinality. ...Two ordinals can represent different ways of well-ordering the same number (aleph-0) of elements.
     From: Michal Walicki (Introduction to Mathematical Logic [2012], 2.3)
     A reaction: This only applies to infinite ordinals and cardinals. For the finite, the two coincide. In infinite arithmetic the rules are different.