Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2024/ia/paper-4/8e/a/solution

A set is countable set if it is finite or admits an enumeration by natural numbers. If are countable, choose enumerations . Since is countable by diagonal enumeration, the array enumerates after repetitions are removed. This proves that a countable union of countable sets is countable.
The integers are countable, so is countable. Mapping to surjects onto , hence is countable. The same diagonal argument shows that is countable whenever are.
Finally, if the reals in had decimal expansions , choose a decimal whose th digit differs from the th digit of , avoiding digits and to remove expansion ambiguity. This number differs from every listed number. The Cantor diagonal argument proves that is uncountable.

New to topics? Read the docs here!