Cofinality ($\mathrm{cf}(\alpha )$)

The cofinality of an ordinal $\alpha$ is the least order type of an unbounded subset of $\alpha$, equivalently the least ordinal $\beta$ admitting a cofinal function $\beta \to \alpha$.

At a nonzero limit ordinal $\delta$, a strictly increasing continuous sequence of cardinals $({\kappa }_{\alpha }{)}_{\alpha \le \delta }$ satisfies $\mathrm{cf}({\kappa }_{\delta })=\mathrm{cf}(\delta )$. A cofinal sequence of indices gives the upper bound. Conversely, bounds for a cofinal set of values must have cofinal indices, giving the lower bound. In particular the assertion applies to Beth numbers.

A map $f:\delta \to \alpha$ whose range is cofinal: every $\xi <\alpha$ lies below or equals some $f(\eta )$. It need not be increasing.

If $\alpha$ is a nonzero limit ordinal and $({\gamma }_{\xi }{)}_{\xi <\alpha }$ is strictly increasing, then $\mathrm{cf}({\sup }_{\xi <\alpha }{\gamma }_{\xi })=\mathrm{cf}(\alpha )$. A cofinal subsequence of the index order gives one inequality. Conversely, a cofinal family in the supremum determines a cofinal family of indices by choosing an index past each of its values. This also explains the cofinality of limit-indexed aleph numbers.

An infinite cardinal number $\kappa$ is singular when $\mathrm{cf}(\kappa )<\kappa$. Thus a short cofinal function reaches arbitrarily high ordinals below $\kappa$. For example, ${\aleph }_{\omega }$ has cofinality $\omega$. The complementary case is a regular cardinal.

If the power-set function is eventually constant below a singular cardinal $\kappa$, its constant value persists at $\kappa$. Writing $\theta =\mathrm{cf}(\kappa )$ gives $2^{\kappa }=(2^{<\kappa }{)}^{\theta }$. On the plateau choose a cardinal $\mu \ge \theta$, so $(2^{\mu }{)}^{\theta }=2^{\mu \cdot \theta }=2^{\mu }$.

Write ${\sigma }_{\alpha }$ for the $\alpha$th uncountable singular cardinal in increasing order. It begins with ${\sigma }_0={\aleph }_{\omega }$ and ${\sigma }_1={\aleph }_{\omega +\omega }$. At a nonzero limit ordinal index it is continuous exactly when the supremum of its earlier values is singular. It can jump when that supremum is a weakly inaccessible cardinal. The first member of uncountable cofinality occurs at index ${\omega }_1$, with value ${\aleph }_{{\omega }_1}$.

There is an uncountable cardinal number $\kappa$ with ${\sigma }_{\kappa }=\kappa$. Iterate ${\kappa }_{n+1}={\sigma }_{{\kappa }_n}$ starting with ${\aleph }_0$. If there is no earlier fixed point, the increasing supremum $\kappa$ has countable cofinality, hence is a singular cardinal. The singular cardinal enumeration is cofinal in $\kappa$ below index $\kappa$, and continuity at this singular supremum gives equality.

The singular cardinals hypothesis asserts that every infinite singular cardinal $\kappa$ satisfiesEquivalently, $\gimel (\kappa )=\max \{{\kappa }^{+},2^{\mathrm{cf}(\kappa )}\}$ for every infinite singular cardinal. Here $\gimel$ is the gimel function. The Generalized continuum hypothesis implies this principle, but the principle only constrains the indicated singular-cardinal exponentiation.

A function $f:\beta \to \alpha$ between ordinals is cofinal when its range is unbounded in $\alpha$: for every $\gamma <\alpha$ some $\xi <\beta$ satisfies $\gamma \le f(\xi )$.

An infinite cardinal $\kappa$ is regular when its cofinality is $\kappa$.