Q:

Determine whether each of these sets is countable or uncountable. For those that are countably infinite, exhibit a one-to-one correspondence between the set of positive integers and that set. (a) all bit strings not containing the bit 0 (b) all positive rational numbers that cannot be written with denominators less than 5 (c) the real numbers not containing 0 in their decimal representation (d) The real numbers containing only a finite number of 1s in their decimal representation

Accepted Solution

A:
Answer:Solution to determine whether each of these sets is countable or uncountableStep-by-step explanation:If A is countable then there exists an injective mapping f : A β†’ Z+ which, for any S βŠ† A gives an injective mapping g : S β†’ Z+ thereby establishing that S is countable. The contrapositive of this is: if a set is not countable then any superset is not countable. Β (a) The rational numbers are countable (done in class) and this is a subset of the rational. Hence this set is also countable. Β (b) this set is not countable. For contradiction suppose the elements of this set in (0,1) are enumerable. As in the diagonalization argument done in class we construct a number, r, in (0,1) whose decimal representation has as its i th digit (after the decimal) a digit different from the i th digit (after the decimal) of the i th number in the enumeration. Note that r can be constructed so that it does not have a 0 in its representation. Further, by construction r is different from all the other numbers in the enumeration thus yielding a contradiction