Paper 4, Section II, H

Logic and Set Theory
Part II, 2012

State and prove Hartogs' lemma. [You may assume the result that any well-ordered set is isomorphic to a unique ordinal.]

Let aa and bb be sets such that there is a bijection aba×ba \sqcup b \rightarrow a \times b. Show, without assuming the Axiom of Choice, that there is either a surjection bab \rightarrow a or an injection bab \rightarrow a. By setting b=γ(a)b=\gamma(a) (the Hartogs ordinal of aa ) and considering (ab)×(ab)(a \sqcup b) \times(a \sqcup b), show that the assertion 'For all infinite cardinals mm, we have m2=mm^{2}=m^{\prime} implies the Axiom of Choice. [You may assume the Cantor-Bernstein theorem.]