# The cardinality of the set of all finite subsets of an infinite set

Let $X$ be an infinite set of cardinality $|X|$, and let $S$ be the set of all finite subests of $X$. How can we show that Card($S$)$=|X|$? Can anyone help, please?

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 same question: physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=249076 – PEV Mar 15 '11 at 3:18

The cardinality is at least $|X|$, since $S$ contains all singletons.

Let $S_n$ be the subset of $S$ consisting of all subsets of cardinality exactly $n$. Then $S$ is the disjoint union of the $S_n$.

Now, for any positive integer $n$, the number of subsets of $X$ of cardinality $n$ is at most $|X|^n = |X|$ (equality since $|X|$ is infinite); because an $n$-tuple of elements of $X$ determines a subset of $X$ of cardinality at most $n$; and every subset with $n$ elements determines only finitely many distinct $n$-tuples of elements of $X$ (namely, $n!$). So $|S_n|\leq n!|X|^n = |X|$ for all $n$.

Therefore: \begin{align*} |X| &\leq |S| = \left|\bigcup_{n=0}^{\infty} S_n\right| = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}|S_n|\\ &= \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}|S_n| \leq \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}|X|\\ &= \aleph_0|X| = |X|, \end{align*} with the last equality since $|X|\geq\aleph_0$.

Thus, $|X|\leq |S|\leq |X|$, so $|S|=|X|$.

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 Do I have it right that this requires some choice, as in the absence of AC, the reals could be a countable union of countable sets? – Ross Millikan Mar 15 '11 at 4:02 @Ross: I don't think so. In the absence of AC, you do not know that a countable union of countable sets is countable (the fact that $\mathbb{R}$ may be a countable union of countable sets show shows such unions need not be countable without AC). Here, we are assuming $X$ has a cardinal, and cardinal arithmetic does not usually require AC. Though I worked with $X$, you could simply work with the corresponding cardinals, which are already well-ordered, so that should allow you to avoid AC. But if we don't assume $X$ has a cardinality, I expect $S$ does not either. – Arturo Magidin Mar 15 '11 at 4:05 @Arturo: Thank you very much. – yaa09d Mar 15 '11 at 4:22 In Schecter's Handbook of Analysis and its Foundations, comparability of all cardinals is equivalent to AC (pg 145) – Ross Millikan Mar 15 '11 at 4:28 @Ross: The statement that for every two sets $X$ and $Y$ there is either an injection from $X$ to $Y$ or an injection from $Y$ to $X$ (sometimes called "comparability of cardinals") is equivalent to AC. However, one defines ordinals without having to have AC, and then one defines cardinals to be ordinals that cannot be bijected with any smaller ordinals. These definitions make sense even in the absence of AC, and all of cardinal arithmetic goes through without needing AC. It is the statement that every set is bijectable with a cardinal (in this sense) that is equivalent to AC. (cont...) – Arturo Magidin Mar 15 '11 at 4:38