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Mathematical logic and foundations Definition

Inaccessible cardinal

Builds on Cardinal numberRegular cardinalUncountable setPower set

Definition

Let κ\kappa be a cardinal. The cardinal κ\kappa is (strongly) inaccessible if:

  1. κ\kappa is uncountable.
  2. κ\kappa is regular: κ\kappa is not the union of fewer than κ\kappa sets each of size less than κ\kappa.
  3. κ\kappa is a strong limit: 2λ<κ2^\lambda < \kappa for every cardinal λ<κ\lambda < \kappa, where 2λ2^\lambda is the cardinality of the power set of a set of size λ\lambda.

The cardinal κ\kappa is weakly inaccessible if it satisfies clauses 1 and 2 and is a limit cardinal: λ+<κ\lambda^+ < \kappa for every cardinal λ<κ\lambda < \kappa.

Remarks

The cardinal ℵ0\aleph_0 satisfies clauses 2 and 3, since a union of finitely many finite sets is finite and 2n2^n is finite; it fails only clause 1. The cardinal ℵ1\aleph_1 is regular but not inaccessible: it fails clause 3, since 2ℵ0≥ℵ12^{\aleph_0} \ge \aleph_1. Every inaccessible cardinal is weakly inaccessible, and under the generalized continuum hypothesis the two notions agree. If κ\kappa is inaccessible, then VκV_\kappa, the set of sets of rank less than κ\kappa, is a model of ZFC. By Gödel's second incompleteness theorem, ZFC therefore cannot prove that an inaccessible cardinal exists, if ZFC is consistent. In Mathlib the notion is Cardinal.IsInaccessible.

Reading path

To understand this page from the ground up, read these 5 pages in order. The foundations come first.

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Each page uses the pages above it. The colour of the bar on a box shows how strong the evidence is, and the box also gives it as text. The list has the same pages.
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  1. Cardinal number concept
  2. Power set concept
  3. Regular cardinal concept
  4. Uncountable set concept
  5. Inaccessible cardinal definition

Further reading

  1. Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inaccessible_cardinal
About this page
Tag2ENTSSHEPZ
URIm2://2ENTSSHEPZ
Kinddefinition
WritingW0 stub
MSC03E55
DefinesInaccessible cardinal
UsesCardinal number, Regular cardinal, Uncountable set, Power set
Changed2 November 2026

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