Wetzel's Problem and the Continuum Hypothesis

Lawrence C. Paulson

February 18, 2022

This is a development version of this entry. It might change over time and is not stable. Please refer to release versions for citations.

Abstract

Let F be a set of analytic functions on the complex plane such that, for each zC, the set {f(z)fF} is countable; must then F itself be countable? The answer is yes if the Continuum Hypothesis is false, i.e., if the cardinality of R exceeds 1. But if CH is true then such an F, of cardinality 1, can be constructed by transfinite recursion. The formal proof illustrates reasoning about complex analysis (analytic and homomorphic functions) and set theory (transfinite cardinalities) in a single setting. The mathematical text comes from Proofs from THE BOOK by Aigner and Ziegler.

License

BSD License

Topics

Session Wetzels_Problem