[Math] Is the set of aleph numbers countable

cardinalselementary-set-theory

If I write the set of aleph numbers in this way $\{\aleph_0, \aleph_1, \aleph_2, \aleph_3, \dots\}$ it seems obvious to me that this set is countable, because aleph numbers have integer coefficients. However, maybe we are using the wrong notation for aleph numbers: how do we know that aleph numbers are really countable?

I think my question can be rephrased like this: what is the cardinality of the set $\{\mathbb{N}, \mathscr{P}(\mathbb{N}), \mathscr{P}(\mathscr{P}(\mathbb{N})), \mathscr{P}(\mathscr{P}(\mathscr{P}(\mathbb{N}))), \dots\}$, where $\mathscr{P}(\mathbb{N})$ represents the power set of $\mathbb{N}$? How do I prove it?

Best Answer

If by $\{ \aleph_0, \aleph_1, \aleph_2, \dots \}$ you mean $\{ \aleph_n : n \in \mathbb{N} \}$, then this set is countable because it's indexed by the natural numbers. However, this set doesn't contain $\aleph_{\omega}$ or any larger alephs.

If by $\{ \aleph_0, \aleph_1, \aleph_2, \dots \}$ you mean 'the set[sic] of all (well-orderable) cardinals', then it's certainly not countable; in fact, it's too big to be a set! (Hence the 'sic'.) There is an aleph for each ordinal $\alpha$, and there are class-many ordinals.

It should also be noted that, unless you accept the generalised continuum hypothesis, it is not necessarily the case that $\aleph_{\alpha} = |\mathscr{P}^{\alpha}(\mathbb{N})|$ for all $\alpha$, as you suggest in your question.