| Description: Axiom of Choice using
abbreviations. The logical equivalence to
ax-ac 1080 can be established by chaining aceq0 3553 and aceq2 3554. A standard
textbook version of AC is derived from this one in aceq6a 3564, and this
version of AC is derived from the textbook version in aceq6b 3565.
The following sketch will help you understand this version of the axiom.
Given any set x, the axiom says that
there exists a y that is a
collection of unordered pairs, one pair for each non-empty member of
x. One entry in the pair is the
member of x, and the other
entry is some arbitrary member of that member of x. Using the
Axiom of Regularity, we can show that y is really a set of ordered
pairs, very similar to the ordered pair construction opthreg 3455. The key
theorem for this (used in the proof of aceq6b 3565) is preleq 3454. With
this modified definition of ordered pair, it can be seen that y is
actually a choice function on the members of x.
For example, suppose
x = {{1, 2}, {1, 3}, {2, 3}}. Take
y = {{{1, 2}, 1}, {{1, 3}, 1}, {{2,
3}, 2}}.
For the member (of x) z = {1, 2}, the only assignment
to w and v that satisfies the axiom is w = 1 and
v = {{1, 2}, 1}, so there is exactly
one w as
required. We verify the other two members of x similarly. Thus
y satisfies the axiom. Using our
modified ordered pair definition,
it is easy to see that y is the
choice function
{〈{1, 2}, 1〉, 〈{1, 3}, 1〉,
〈{2, 3}, 2〉}. Of course other choices for y will
also satisfy the axiom, for example
y = {{{1, 2}, 2}, {{1, 3}, 1}, {{2,
3}, 3}}.
What AC tells us is that there exists at least one such y,
but it doesn't tell us which one. |