Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2020/ii/paper-4/16h/c/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 4 16H c iii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Yes. Order the proper filters containing the cofinite filter by inclusion. The union of every chain is again a proper filter containing : any finite collection of its members already lies in one filter in the chain. Zorn lemma gives a maximal proper filter .
A maximal proper filter is an ultrafilter. Indeed, if , adjoining cannot generate another proper filter, so some has . Thus , and upward closure gives . Finally, cannot equal any principal ultrafilter , because it contains the cofinite set whereas does not. Thus is a nonprincipal ultrafilter on .
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