Cardinal Number

Pub Mar 09, 2026 Up Jun 10, 2026

Definition 1. An ordinal $\alpha$ is a cardinal number or cardinal if

\[\forall \beta < \alpha : \beta \lnequ \alpha.\]

The class of all cardinals is denoted by $\Card$.

Definition 2. Every natural number is a cardinal, called a finite cardinal. A cardinal is infinite if it is not finite.

Proposition 1. $\Card$ is a proper class.

Proof. Show that

\[\Ord \subseteq \bigcup \Card.\]

Proposition 2. Every infinite cardinal is a limit ordinal.

Proof. By SUC > Proposition 2.